


The Stars I Stole For You

by Choi Eimi (Siyah_Kedi)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Love Triangle, M/M, Phone Sex, Pining, Romance, X-posted from AFF, and only slightly more about publishing, i know nothing about office work, office environment, srsly I hate tagging, tags are hateful, tattood!baek, yixing of all trades
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 14:38:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 38,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14107542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Siyah_Kedi/pseuds/Choi%20Eimi
Summary: Baekhyun started as an intern, and was hired as a permanent employee. Now he realizes he's got to navigate the cutthroat world of business while juggling both an unhealthy obsession with his boss, and a major crush on his "therapist."





	1. The Boy on the Blue Moon Dreams of Sun

 

_ Okay, first day of work.  You can do this Baekhyun! Go! Fighting! _

 

Looking at himself in the mirror, Baekhyun gave the pep talk with a fierce expression on his face.  His hair was still dripping wet from his shower and the towel wrapped around his waist was hardly professional attire.  He still couldn’t quite believe he’d made the final cut and gone from being a summer intern to a full-time employee, but he wasn’t about to question his good luck.  Not when things were finally turning around. 

 

He finished drying himself and retrieved the suit he’d bought, shimmying into it and admiring the view in the mirror.  Checking his list, he remembered to tuck in the shirt, knot the tie, and take concealer to hide the tattoo on his neck.  Seeing his bare face looking back at him was a little strange, but he didn’t think his new coworkers would appreciate thick eyeliner and lip gloss.  

 

_ This is it.  Goodbye college, goodbye partying, here’s to my first day as a responsible adult! _ He lifted an imaginary glass to his reflection and slicked his hair back with a little bit of gel.  This time, looking at himself in the mirror was a little bit like looking at a stranger. A mature, responsible stranger, who was going to be late for his first day of work if he didn’t get moving.  Baekhyun shot for the door, stopped only long enough to slide his shoes on, and was hurrying down the street to catch the bus without even tying his shoelaces. 

 

_ Note to self, get up earlier tomorrow. _

 

*

 

The receptionist, Kyungsoo, nodded politely to him as Baekhyun sauntered through the front door as if he wasn’t five minutes late.  They’d developed an almost-friendship over the course of the summer, since Kyungsoo was a recent hire, himself, and Baekhyun had no idea why the other employees told such horrible stories about him.  

 

His mentor was waiting for him just inside the main lobby, behind Kyungsoo’s forbidding desk.  “Hi,” he greeted cheerfully. “You’re Byun Baekhyun, right? I’m Kim Jongin. Welcome to work! You interned here, right?  So you already know where most of the important stuff is?” 

 

Baekhyun nodded shyly.  “I just don’t know exactly what I’m doing yet, not officially,” he added.  

 

“Well, you’ve got a cubicle.  You’re here as a junior editor, right?  Uh. Probably don’t expect too much for a while.” Jongin ran a hand through his hair, mussing it.  “The boss can be pretty intense, and if you made it this far, it means you’ve got something he likes, but really, the first like…month.  He’ll probably have you running errands.” 

 

Baekhyun blinked.  “Errands.” 

 

“Yeah.  He hires a lot of people at once and gives them shit jobs to see who can stick it out the longest with the best attitude.  Most people don’t stay long, but don’t feel like he’s singling you out. Everyone who’s here has gone through this.” Jongin clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Well, call me if you have any other questions.  Extension 9. I gotta get going, bye!” He vanished so suddenly, Baekhyun wondered if he’d teleported. Then a shadow fell across his path and he turned and looked up.

 

And up.  

 

And up.

 

Into the face of his new boss.  

 

“C-C-C-E.O. Park!” Baekhyun bowed quickly, bending ninety-degrees to show respect to his supervisor and held it just long enough that even he was beginning to feel awkward.  

 

“You’re shorter than I remember,” the CEO said, musingly.  Baekhyun’s eyebrows lifted. He’d only met the CEO once, when he’d been formally invited to join Shining Star Press, and he was so hungover he barely remembered it at all.  

 

“Maybe because you were sitting down?  Sir?” The words slipped out before he could stop them, and not even the belated honorific salvaged the blatant sarcasm.  To his surprise, CEO Park just laughed, long and loud.

 

“That’s why I hired you,” he said, and much like Jongin, clapped Baekhyun on the shoulder.  “Now, come with me, I want to get your opinion on something.” 

 

At first, Baekhyun couldn’t believe his good fortune.  His very first day, and already the CEO wanted his thoughts!  Then he remembered Jongin’s warning, a little too late, as the CEO pushed him into the break room and showed him a magazine with coffee pots spread across both pages.  

 

Baekhyun stared, and glanced at the CEO.  His attention was momentarily arrested by the beautiful shape of his eyes and the slight purse of his lips.  Then he realised he was staring and hastily glanced down. “Uh, sir?”

 

“Which one of these will go the best in this room?” CEO Park asked, sounding entirely serious.  “I want a three page report on my desk tonight detailing your thoughts on each one, and what your opinion is.”  

 

Baekhyun sank into the nearest chair as CEO Park exited the room.   _ You have got to be kidding me. _  Then he remembered Jongin’s warning again, and wondered if this was a deliberate calculation on Park’s part to make him want to leave.   _ Then why hire me? _ He wondered.  As an intern, he wasn’t guaranteed a job.  He hadn’t even been expecting to be called back for an interview, which was the reason he’d shown up hungover.  Then he decided that if he was going to make it work with this company, he had to prove that he was the best damn editor they’d ever even considered.  He took a picture of the current coffee pot, snatched up the magazine from the table, and hurried to his cubicle. 

 

*

 

The report landed on CEO Park’s desk bound in plastic with a cover page and everything.  “I hope ten pages isn’t too much for you,” Baekhyun said, bowing meekly. CEO Park set down the rubik’s cube he’d been struggling with and eyed Baekhyun as he leaned forward for the report.  Still staring silently at Baekhyun, he flipped the report open and slowly lowered his eyes to it. 

 

Baekhyun had done more than just write about which coffee pot would look best in the break room.  He’d done his research, too, going into customer reviews, providing sources for his information, and even lodged a little picture of each pot at the top corner of every page for reference.  He watched as CEO Park not only simply looked at everything, but appeared to take the time to actually read. Baekhyun shuffled awkwardly, aware that he was staring but really unable to look away.  Especially when CEO Park caught his lower lip between his teeth and sucked on it for a moment. 

 

“Thank you, Baekhyun,” CEO Park said suddenly, putting the report down and looking up seriously.  “This was good. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.” 

 

Baekhyun slumped just slightly, having hoped for something more – more – well,  _ more. _  “Thank you sir,” he said instead, and let himself out of the office.  As the door closed behind him, he could have sworn the high, shrieking laughter rising in the background was actually coming from the office.  

 

*

 

The next morning, Baekhyun arrived at work to find his report on  _ his _ desk, with doodles all over it.  Looking closer, he realised they were comments.  

 

“ _ Excellent choice here, Byun, I totally agree.”  _ And  _ “No, no, this is an office, not a bachelor pad.  Lights are irrelevant. _ ” 

 

At the back of the report was a sticky note.  “ _ If I buy the one you chose, you’re getting a raise. _ ” 

 

This time, he sensed him before he saw him.  As he turned, Baekhyun saw CEO Park looming over his cubicle with a saccharine smile.  “Good, Byun, you’re here early. That’s what I like to see. Now, come with me.” 

 

Apparently the paint in the men’s room needed refreshing, and CEO Park wasn’t sure if he should order the green or the blue.  “A five page report on my desk by the end of the day, can you manage it?” 

 

Baekhyun steeled his spine, smiled sweetly, and agreed.

 

*

 

After a week of dredging reports out of useless crap, Baekhyun was grateful for the weekend.  Strangely, he didn’t feel much like going out and picking up, because even though CEO Park seemed determined to make him insane, Park Chanyeol was also the single most intensely attractive guy Baekhyun had ever seen, and everyone else was a pale moon next to the shining sun of his face.  If he couldn’t have the best, he wasn’t interested in anyone else. 

 

He was lying in bed, flipping through his phone contacts and looking to see if anyone he knew would want to hang out, when he came across an unfamiliar number.  Opening the contact, he saw a note had been added, apparently by one of the other former-interns, Jongdae. 

 

_ “You look like you need this.  Give it a ring, they’re totally worth it.” _

 

Baekhyun scowled, wondering when Jongdae had gotten his phone.  Then curiousity overcame his irritation and he called the unknown number.  

 

“Thank you for calling  _ House of Kittens. _  Who can I hook you up with tonight?”

 

The voice  _ dripped _ sex.  Baekhyun squeaked and nearly dropped his phone.  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t know what this is.  My friend gave me this number.” 

 

“We’re here to help you,” the voice said, still sounding like they were halfway to an orgasm already.  “In  _ whatever _ way we can.”  It sounded as if helping Baekhyun somehow would be the best thing they’d ever done.  He’d never called a sex hotline before, but he liked the way this guy sounded. 

 

“Well, are you free?”

 

“Me?”  For a moment, the guy was taken aback and Baekhyun caught just a hint of his normal voice.  “Certainly. For you, I can be anything.” Then the sex was back, and Baekhyun relaxed into his pillow.  

 

“Tell me your name.”  

 

“I’m  _ Lay. _ ”   __


	2. A Beast in my Heart

 

“So,” Baekhyun said, a little nervous now that he was actually on the phone with a stranger.  “I’ve never actually called one of these numbers before, and I really – I don’t exactly know what to do.”  He was twenty fucking two, he shouldn’t be this awkward.  _ Grow a pair, Baekhyun! _

 

Lay’s laugh was husky and intimate.  Baekhyun reminded himself that the man was paid to sound like that.  

 

“You could start by telling me what you like,” he suggested.  “Are you a virgin?” 

 

This time it was Baekhyun’s turn to laugh, low and dark.  “Not at all.”  _ What do I like? _  In a moment of blind panic, his mind went blank.  Then he took a deep breath and continued. “Well, I like force,” he suggested.  “Being pushed down and teased.”  _ I can’t believe I’m telling this to some strange guy on the phone. _

 

“Ah, submissive.  Well, you can start by relaxing.  Lie on your bed and get comfortable.  Don’t take anything off yet, though. Unless… are you already hard?” 

 

_ Not yet? _  Baekhyun laughed quietly.  “Horny as fuck, but not hard yet,” he admitted.  

 

“Mm, good.  So, tell me when you’re comfortable.  What are you wearing?” Lay’s voice was still breathy and deep, almost intimate.  

 

“Sweat pants and an old tee-shirt,” Baekhyun said, flushing.  “Should I have lied to you just now?” 

 

Lay laughed and it sounded more genuine this time.  “No, because I want you to enjoy this. If you tell lies it won’t be as much fun.”  

  
  


Baekhyun tucked one hand  behind his head and absorbed that.  “Why do you want me to enjoy this?” he asked, genuinely curious.  “Don’t you get paid regardless?”

 

“Well, yeah, but I want you to call back.  I get extra if you ask for me specifically,” Lay confided.  “So if I want you to keep calling me, I need to make sure you enjoy yourself.”  

 

“Do you get anything out of it?” 

 

He could totally fall for Lay’s laugh.  “Sometimes. Although we have a policy here that if you make me come, you get a discount.”  

 

“Oh, really?” 

 

“Don’t take that tone of voice with me.  Tonight’s about you. Start slow. Imagine that I’m with you.  I’m going to push you down, you copy what I say.” 

 

Baekhyun’s face heated up.  He squeezed his eyes closed and tried to imagine what would be happening if Lay were in the room with him.  Without knowing what Lay looked like, his mind filled in CEO Park and he gasped without meaning to. “Uh, yeah.”  Cursing himself for his sudden awkwardness, Baekhyun cleared his throat and tried again. “Okay, I’m ready.” 

 

“First, I’m going to let my fingers touch your cheeks.  Slowly, gently, down your throat and to your chest. Are your nipples sensitive?  I want to touch them.”

 

Baekhyun closed his eyes and trailed his own hand down his face to his chest, just as Lay was describing.  “Y-yeah,” he said. “Really sensitive, I have them pierced.” 

 

A sharp intake of breath on the other line made him open his eyes, suddenly taken out of the budding fantasy.  “Oh my god, that’s  _ hot. _ ”  Lay sounded more and more genuine.  “Mm, I like nipple piercings. Tug on one of them for me and tell me how you feel.”  

 

_ Ridiculous, _ Baekhyun thought, but did as he was told.  He was paying a guy to tell him how to masturbate, and the only thing he had going for him so far was a super sexy voice.  Then the slight tug of the ring through his flesh reached his brain and he gasped again, involuntarily. “That feels good,” he breathed.  

 

“I want to play with them,” Lay whined gently.  “But right now just rub gently, through your shirt.  Softly, softly. I’m teasing you right now, remember.  Now I want you to slide your hand slowly down your stomach.  Beneath your navel, between your hip bones, press down on that area.”  

 

Baekhyun did as he was told, feeling completely stupid.  It only lasted a few seconds, because he’d never felt anything that good in his life.  “Oh my god,” he said. Lay’s laugh was husky.

 

“I bet you didn’t know you could feel that there, huh?  Now, over the pants, rub slightly.” 

 

Baekhyun felt his breathing speed up as Lay walked him through the arousement.  By the time he’d actually gotten a hand into his pants, he was exhaling on a moan and even Lay was sounding a bit breathless.  

 

“Mm, just like that,” Lay said.  “Just one finger around the tip, teasing you.  Are you ready?”

 

“Oh,  _ so ready, _ ” Baekhyun breathed.  “Keep going.” 

 

“No.  I’m in control, remember?  I decide when things go on.”  

 

Baekhyun whined deep in his throat, but it was as if Lay’s voice had attached a string to his hand and he pulled away.  Getting himself off had never been so erotic before. 

 

“I want to play with your nipple rings again,” Lay whispered. “Twist them just a little bit, just to see you squirm because it feels so good.”  

 

Baekhyun moaned as he twisted the ring between two fingers. Other people had done this, but they were either too tentative or too rough and it was like Lay had x-ray vision directly into what turned him on the most.  His pulse was pounding in his dick and he sprawled, spread-eagle on the bed, his hips jerking involuntarily as Lay whispered filthy things into his ear. 

 

“Back down,” Lay said.  “Get your pants down just far enough to bring your cock out and tell me what it looks like when you stroke it slowly.”  

 

Baekhyun could barely get the breath to speak.  Long gone was any hint of embarrassment as he watched himself slide his fingers up and down his shaft, going into more and more detailed descriptions of how he felt.   Lay matched him word for word, continuing to tell him what he was going to do, what he wanted to do, and for a while, Baekhyun forgot he wasn’t actually involved with the guy on the other line.  

 

“Two fingers,” Lay said suddenly.  Baekhyun complied before he thought it through; he’d never done this alone, and it was awkward at first until he found a comfortable position, thrusting his fingers in and out of his body while he fell apart and Lay kept talking.  Soon, too soon, Baekhyun was coming all over his stomach in spurts. While he lay there shivering in the aftermath, he could hear Lay trying to catch his breath too and was suddenly curious. 

 

“Did you get off?” 

 

Lay chuckled.  “Nearly. God, you have a beautiful voice.  This was extremely fun. I hope you’ll call back.”

 

“Oh, I  _ will, _ ” Baekhyun promised.  Lay’s laugh was darkly amused this time.  

 

“Do you have a toy?”

 

This took him off-guard.  “Excuse me?” 

 

“A vibrator or something,” Lay insisted.

 

Baekhyun’s eyes were round as he got up and groped for a tissue to wipe up his mess.  “Uh,  _ no, _ ” he said, scandalised.  “Those things are just for girls.” 

 

“Oh no they’re not,” Lay retorted, equally shocked.  “Get one, you won’t regret it. And maybe we’ll use it next time you call, hmm?” 

 

Baekhyun’s breath caught in his throat at the thought of it.  “Oh,” he said. “Okay.” He hung up with Lay, accepted the charges for the call, and lay in bed, torn between sleepiness and shock that he’d not only called a sex-line, but actually utilised it.   _ Maybe I should have gone and found someone at a bar, _ he realised.   _ I thought only lonely old perverts called sex lines. _  But who would  _ work _ at one?  Lay didn’t sound like the type of person he would have expected.  

 

_ I guess lonely young perverts can call them, too, _ he decided, and reached over and flicked his bedside light off. 

 

*

 

Monday morning rolled around, and Baekhyun slumped out of bed with a muffled grunt.  After the first day, he’d begun setting his alarm for half an hour earlier than he thought was even human, and he glanced out his window to find that the sun wasn’t even up yet. 

 

_ This is an unholy time to be awake, _ he decided, and shucked his pyjamas off before shuffling into the bathroom for his shower.   

 

Upon arriving at work, he was excited to have survived his first week, and then remembered Jongin’s warning that the games CEO Park was apt to play could last for up to a month.   _ How did this man make CEO again? _ He wondered, but then Jongdae was pouncing on him. 

 

“Good morning, Baekhyunnie!  How was your weekend?” 

 

Before he could get an answer out, he felt hands on his butt, and then Jongdae vanished.  Bewildered and still sleepy despite the shower, Baekhyun turned around to look for him and found him going through a phone.  His eyes narrowed when he realised it was his own. Then they became round as it hit him what Jongdae was doing. 

 

“Hey, hey!  Give that back!” 

 

Jongdae grinned widely.  “Did you find it? Did you call?”  Baekhyun lunged for him, and Jongdae dodged, and within seconds they were racing through the aisles between cubicles, Jongdae laughing as he attempted to evade Baekhyun, and Baekhyun tried to keep him from finding anything incriminating on the phone.  

 

Jongdae let out a whoop.  “You spent an  _ hour and a half _ on the phone with them?  Why’d you save the number as Lay?  Oooh, did you  _ like _ it?”  

 

Too late, Baekhyun realised CEO Park was standing at the end of the hall, watching the two of them running around like animals at a zoo.  Horrified and embarrassed, Baekhyun screeched to a halt, but Jongdae wasn’t paying attention and crashed right into the tower that was their boss and fell back to land on his butt.  The messenger, Sehun, giggled quietly to himself, and then tried to hide behind the walls of the nearest cubicle to avoid drawing attention to himself. 

 

“Oops,” Jongdae said. 

 

“I am not going to ask,” CEO Park announced.  “Don’t tell me, because I don’t want to know. All I’m going to say is to remind you that this is not first grade.  Is there a reason you were running in my office like hooligans?” 

 

Baekhyun bowed low again, bending from the waist and holding it.  “I am so, so sorry, sir,” he said. “Jongdae stole my phone, you see, and I was just trying to get it back.” 

 

“Hm.”  

 

When the silence stretched, Baekhyun risked a glance up and saw Jongdae also bowing low, though not so low as Baekhyun.   _ Well, he’s been here longer, _ Baekhyun rationalised to himself.  CEO Park was simply staring, one gorgeously shaped eyebrow lifting almost to his hairline.  Baekhyun was struck by an urge to simply reach out and touch his face, to find out if his cheek was as smooth as it looked.  He clenched his hands into fists at his sides and renewed his bow. 

 

“Well, since you seem to think we’re in grade school here, I will respond as a teacher.  You may have your phone back at the end of the day.” 

 

Baekhyun blinked, and then nodded.  “Yes, sir,” he said. When the CEO had left, taking Baekhyun’s cell phone with him.  Feeling chastened, Baekhyun straightened and sighed. 

 

“Look what you did,” he complained, pushing Jongdae for the momentary satisfaction of seeing him wobble.  

 

“No pushing,” Jongdae retorted.  “What are we, in grade school?” 

 

Suddenly the two of them broke into fits of giggles, leaning on each other for support as they retreated to their separate cubicles.  

 

Baekhyun was in a constant state of agitation all day.  He couldn’t focus while knowing that CEO Park had his phone. Even worse was the knowledge that Jongdae knew he’d not only found the number, but called.  Not just called, but spent an hour and a half speaking to them. What was he thinking? What did he make of it? Did he think Baekhyun had no life? That he couldn’t get someone else, someone real?  That Baekhyun needed an hour and a half of being guided through sex because he was a  _ virgin _ ?  

 

He was lucky he saved the number as Lay, but what if CEO Park found it and called?  He must have heard Jongdae shouting about it. He would be curious. What if he found out Baekhyun had called the sex line?  

 

Baekhyun was a nervous wreck the entire day.  He wasn’t even sure what was put in front of him to work on, and hoped it wasn’t too bad at the end of the day.  When seven o’clock rolled around and it was time to get out and go home, Baekhyun trudged up to CEO Park’s office to get his phone.  Waiting in the elevator was a special hell, and it seemed to take an eternity to pass each floor. Then, before he was ready, it was opening up onto the lobby of CEO Park’s floor.  Park himself was stretched out on the couch, playing with a phone.

 

_ His _ phone, Baekhyun realised.  Scandalised and horrified, Baekhyun dropped to his knees and bowed as low as he possibly could.

 

“I deeply apologise for my behaviour this morning,” he said, thinking frantically,  _ Please don’t fire me!  Please don’t know what that number is!   _

 

“Oh wow,” CEO Park said.  “Get up, Baekhyun, you’re not in trouble.  I harvested your crops, though,” he said, and slid easily off the couch to get to his feet.  Baekhyun envied the length of his legs and the casual grace with which he conducted himself. It seemed inhuman for him to be that tall and  _ that _ beautiful.  It certainly wasn’t fair.  Baekhyun climbed awkwardly to his feet, and accepted his phone with a bow.  

 

“Would you quit with the bowing?  You remind me of my friend Yixing.  He’s always bowing at everything,” CEO Park complained good-naturedly. Baekhyun caught himself halfway into another bow, and substituted a nod at the last second. 

 

He backed out of the office and couldn’t help himself as he bent once more as he exited the room into the elevator.  The last thing he saw was CEO Park’s good-natured smile as he laughed and rolled his eyes at Baekhyun’s inability to stop bowing.  

 


	3. One Hundred Sleepless Nights

 

Baekhyun managed to keep himself from messing with his phone until he got home.  Showering quickly to get the gel out of his hair, he looked at himself critically in the mirror.  

 

_ Aren’t I pretty?  Why do I have to call a sex line?  Can’t I get someone in real life? But I don’t want anyone but CEO Park.  God, what is wrong with me. _

 

Halfway into a premature midlife-crisis, he remembered that the self-same CEO had stolen his phone and played with it all day.  With nothing better to do, he slipped into some clean pyjama pants and an old band tee-shirt, and settled on the couch, ordering takeout to be delivered in lieu of cooking something.  There was just no joy in cooking for one person. Finally, he allowed himself to unlock his phone and see what had been done to it. 

 

His wallpaper had been changed to a picture of a Japanese ukiyo-e, first.  The tidal wave, which in hindsight, Baekhyun realised was actually a poster that hung in CEO Park’s office.  He’d seen it during his interview. Deciding he liked it, he left the wallpaper alone. Then, curious, he went into his pictures to see what else the CEO had captured. 

 

Himself, mostly.  There were probably fifty new pictures, all of CEO Park from various angles.  Baekhyun rolled off the couch laughing as he realised the man had spent pretty much every moment of his day using Baekhyun’s phone for selcas.  There was even a video, apparently of the CEO’s desk.

 

“Ah, Baekhyun-ah,” CEO Park was saying.  “How do you work the camera? This is a front-facing camera, how do I turn it… oops.”  The phone clattered to the desk as CEO Park dropped it. Baekhyun jumped, and paused the video to climb back onto the couch, tucking his legs up underneath himself.  Restarting the video, he watched CEO Park pan over his office, muttering to himself.

 

“Hmm, what should I take a picture of?  Aha, the woodblock poster.” CEO Park leapt out of his seat, and promptly tripped over his rubbish bin.  Baekhyun bit his lip and giggled, torn between amusement and second-hand embarrassment that he worked for a man like this.  “Oops, shit, who put that there?” he wondered aloud, and then reached the ukiyo-e hanging on his wall. Baekhyun watched as he tried to find the right angle, tilting the phone this way and that, and finally realise that the phone was recording.  “Wait, ten minutes. What? Has this been taking a video? Ah, Baekhyun-ah, don’t watch this please!” The recording shut off, and Baekhyun felt a warm feeling flood through him. 

 

The dreamy smile still plastered on his face when he answered the door to collect his food took even the delivery guy aback for a moment.  

 

*

Baekhyun made himself a promise that he wouldn’t call Lay back until the weekend, but midway through the week he was starting to feel stressed out by CEO Park’s  _ game. _  The man was constantly underfoot.  Even Jongdae had begun to comment on it. 

 

“I’ve never seen him pester someone as much as he’s pestering you,” he said over lunch Wednesday.  “What’d you do, anyway? It’s like a personal vendetta.”

 

Baekhyun dropped his chopsticks into his bowl of instant noodles and pushed the heels of his palms against his eyes.  “I don’t know. It seems like he likes me – he’s always laughing – but then he does … _ this _ .”

 

_ This _ was making Baekhyun empty out the break room and repaint it.  By himself. He consoled himself with the thought that CEO Park had made good on his promise to give him a raise if he chose the coffee pot, despite the fact that it was just a few cents.  A few cents would still add up after some time. The room still smelled faintly of drying paint, but it wasn’t unbearable, and the room did look nicer. 

 

“Is he trying to make me quit?  Jongin said it would be shit work like shuffling papers.” 

 

Instead, he’d written seven reports on various random things around the office, repainted the break room, and scrubbed the graffiti out of every bathroom in the building.  

 

Jongdae shrugged.  “I’d say he either really, really likes you, or else he really,  _ really _ hates you.  It can be hard to tell with him sometimes.”  

 

Baekhyun flicked his empty flavouring packet across the table at him.  “You’re so helpful.” 

 

“At least he hasn’t outright fired you.  You know we’re getting our winter interns six weeks early because he fired half the people he brought in from the summer already, and we need the help.”  

 

Baekhyun blinked, taken by surprise.  “He fired people?” What he didn’t say was,  _ He does his job? _

 

“Yeah,” Jongdae said, slurping up his noodles.  “Like half the people you came in with. I think there’s only like two of you left from the summer interns he hired.”  

 

Baekhyun brightened, and then drooped.  “And he’s treating me like this, so he probably just doesn’t want to fire me if he can make me quit.”    

 

Jongdae flicked the flavour packet back at him.  “Are you going to quit?” 

 

“And let him win?  Absolutely  _ not. _ ” 

 

*

 

“And my boss is a giant freak,” Baekhyun sighed, throwing himself onto his bed.  Lay made soothing noises. 

 

“It sounds like you’re doing a good job.  If it’s the same Park Chanyeol I – I’ve heard of, he probably respects your attitude.  He doesn’t like walking on people. If you just stand up to him, he’ll like you better.  That’s the kind of reputation he has.” 

 

Baekhyun rolled onto his stomach, wriggling slightly to straighten out his sweat pants.  “Why does everything make sense when you say it? Jongdae, one of the other guys I work with, he tried to tell me something similar earlier but he started with,  _ Our CEO is a special little snowflake, _ and ended with,  _ And that’s why the moon is actually inhabited by a rabbit.” _

 

Lay’s laugh was low and unfettered, totally natural.  “Sounds like you work with an interesting bunch of people,” he said.  

 

“Starting at the top,” Baekhyun agreed.  He shifted again because his waistband was still twisted, and he couldn’t get comfortable with his pants facing the wrong way.  

 

“Are you jerking off?” Lay asked suddenly.  Baekhyun was horrified, suddenly realising that he was making little noises as he tried to shift a hand around under his hips to fix his pants.  

 

“Oh my god, no,” he said.  “Not yet anyway. My pants are twisted.  Are you wanting me to jerk off?” 

 

“Well, I really did like listening to you fall apart the other day,” Lay confided, his sex-voice making a triumphant return.  Baekhyun flushed, feeling warm, as he remembered that voice whispering filthy things to him as he worked himself over. “But actually, not really,” he continued.  “Funny, but I really think I’d like to be the one jerking you off.” 

 

Baekhyun’s breath caught in his throat.  “O-oh,” he said intelligently. 

 

“Your voice is amazing, and if you look anything like how you sound,” Lay added, letting the words trail off.  He sighed dramatically. “It’s such a shame you have an unrequited crush on your boss.” 

 

Baekhyun’s face flamed.  “I don’t – I never – I didn’t – How –” 

 

Lay’s laugh was warm and husky.  “It’s so obvious. Want to pretend I’m him?  Or did you really just call to talk tonight?” 

 

“Oh, well, if I’m paying you to get me off, I might as well let you do your job,” Baekhyun said breezily, trying to cover up the fact that his face was still cherry-red.  

 

“You’re so good to me,” Lay said dryly.  “Did you have anything in mind?” 

 

“Well,” and now he was beginning to feel impish.  “I do like your voice, too. I’m not going to touch myself this time, and if you can still get me off, I’ll pay you extra for it.” 

 

“Hmm, really making me work for it this time, I see.  Okay, the first thing I want to do to you is shut your filthy mouth with one of your work ties.  Maybe two of them, one to gag you and one to blindfold you. That way every time you wear them at work you’d have to think about me and what we did with your ties,” Lay said, his voice low and intimate.  “Then when you couldn’t see anything, I’d take my time playing with your nipple rings.” 

 

Baekhyun gasped, already tingling from the mental images.  “Then what?” 

 

“Kissing, definitely.”  

 

Baekhyun closed his eyes and let Lay’s voice wash over him.  

 

“Just a gentle touch with my tongue on your lips,” Lay said, his voice drifting dreamily.  Baekhyun idly wondered if he was imagining it, too, and it somehow made the fantasy more erotic.  “You’ll open your mouth and let me in and I’ll taste you and kiss you deeply.” His voice deepened as he spoke, sending shivers up and down Baekhyun’s spine.  “Then slowly, gently, I’ll touch you.” 

 

Baekhyun was breathing hard by the time Lay got around to describing how he would take his clothes off one piece at a time, and as he moved onto details about  _ just _ how he would suck him, Baekhyun lost his self-control.  “Keep talking,” he said, and shoved his free hand beneath his waist band.  “I failed, I have to – oh my god.” 

 

Lay interrupted himself with laughter.  “You’re jerking off now aren’t you?” 

 

“Uh huh.”  

 

“Good, because I want to just lick you from the bottom to the top and suck on the tip like a lollipop, and I want to watch you fall apart from just a blowjob.”  

 

Baekhyun was so turned on at that point it was an embarrassingly short time before he was coming all over himself, not even bothering to restrain his moans.  As he was coming down from the endorphin high, he heard Lay’s heavy breathing over the phone. “Are you jerking off too?” 

 

“I think I might have to,” Lay admitted.  “I can’t believe how sexy you sound when you come.” 

 

Baekhyun blushed.  

 

“Have you got a toy yet?” 

 

The blush vanished as all the blood drained out of his face.  “I thought you forgot about that.” 

 

“How could I forget?  Please, please, please buy one, but don’t use it until you call me again.  I want to be the first one to hear you use it.” 

 

And the blush came raging back.  “Oh my god,” Baekhyun said. “Okay, I’ll get one after work tomorrow.  Don’t expect me to call soon, though. I can’t imagine what you’re thinking of me right now.” 

 

“I’m thinking I want to suck you off,” Lay purred.  “While you fuck yourself on a vibrator.” 

 

Baekhyun choked.  

 

*

 

The next morning he was waiting under the awning at the bus stop because the weather was threatening rain.  A good looking kid with an enormous hoodie and headphones over his ears was already there when he arrived, and Baekhyun felt old and awkward sitting beside him in the suit.  He really was pretty good looking, though, despite the oversized clothes, and soon Baekhyun found himself stealing glances at him out of the corner of his eyes. The beanie he wore did little to tame his hair, which curled up at the edges, and his face was thin and pleasant.  A unicorn pendant hung from a chain around his neck, and Baekhyun longed to ask him whether it was some kind of band symbol, just to have an excuse to talk to him. He didn’t want to interrupt his music, however, and settled for surreptitiously watching him. 

 

Settled for looking, at least, until his phone rang.  With the headphones apparently attached to some other device, the kid seemed to not notice his phone and it’s highly irritating ringtone.  Baekhyun, feeling older than his twenty-two years, leaned forward and tapped the kid on the shoulder. 

 

He pulled his headphones off, and Baekhyun heard a popular song blasting through the ear-pieces at near-deafening levels.  “What’s up? Oh.”

 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said awkwardly.  “Your phone,” he added, but the kid was already digging into the pocket of his oversized hoodie for the device.  The bus rolled up just as he answered, and they stood up in unison. Baekhyun was surprised to note that the kid was taller than him, and lanky with it in his skinny jeans and skater shoes.  He waved, winking, and entered the bus. 

 

Baekhyun settled himself near the driver as the kid headed directly for the back of the bus, still talking on his phone, and as the doors closed, Baekhyun tried to think of why his voice sounded so familiar.  

 

*

 

When he arrived at the office, he was one of the first people in.  Sehun was perched on Kyungsoo’s desk, looking cheerful despite Kyungsoo’s icy glare.  

 

“So, our new senior editor, I don’t know what it is about him,” Sehun was saying.  Baekhyun paused to wipe his feet and eavesdrop shamelessly. 

 

“I don’t really care,” Kyungsoo said. 

 

“He’s just so… unf, you know?” 

 

“No.  Please get off my desk.” 

 

Sehun shimmied in place to emphasise his words, and then glanced up with a cheerfully welcoming smile at Baekhyun.  “Baekbaek!” 

 

_ Baekbaek? _

 

Sehun launched himself from the desk, upsetting a stack of papers, and Kyungsoo half-rose out of his chair, looking ready to do murder.  Baekhyun caught Sehun and waved at Kyungsoo before steering the young messenger out of the lobby. 

 

“Oh my god, Kyungsoo is going to kill you,” Baekhyun said, laughing.  Sehun giggled. 

 

“I can’t talk about … what I want to say.”  Suddenly shy, he covered his face, and Baekhyun poked at him.  

 

“The new senior editor?” He asked in a whisper.  Sehun turned cherry-red. 

 

“ _ You heard that? _ ” 

 

“I won’t tell anyone.  So who  _ is _ the new –”

 

“Good morning, Luhan!” Sehun said loudly, speaking over Baekhyun and waving to someone else.  Baekhyun followed his gaze, and realised Luhan’s cubicle was directly beside the elevator where he and Jongdae had had their little tiff over the cell phone.  He remembered Sehun ducking inside to hide from CEO Park’s possible wrath, and suddenly the dots connected in his mind. 

 

“Ohhh,” he said.  Sehun shoved both hands over his mouth at the same moment he felt hands at his butt.  When he managed to extricate himself from Sehun’s grip, he saw Jongdae messing with his phone, but he’d anticipated this and changed his lock key. 

 

When he was thwarted in opening Baekhyun’s phone, Jongdae returned it with a pout.  “You’re no fun,” he mumbled. Baekhyun triumphantly returned his phone to his pocket, happy to have outwitted the writer, and was preparing to go to his desk when suddenly Kyungsoo appeared on the floor, escorting a guest.  

 

And not just any guest, Baekhyun realised.  It was the hoodie-wearing kid from the bus. His eyes became round as he took in the kid’s appearance all over again, and then the elevator dinged open and CEO Park appeared, looking like a child as he sailed through the doors.  

 

“Yixing-ah!” He bellowed, jogging towards Kyungsoo and the guest.  Heads popped up all over the floor, and nearly everyone converged on them, probably to watch CEO Park’s antics.

 

Baekhyun thought,  _ Ah, so this is the CEO’s friend Yixing. _

 

Then CEO Park did something that shocked Baekhyun to the core.  He picked the kid –  _ Yixing _ – up in a hug and spun him around.  Yixing laughed, and thwacked him on the head with a stack of papers. 

 

“I came here to deliver this personally, and this is the greeting I get?  Also, look at your interns, you’re going to ruin your reputation forever. Now put me down, you big lug.” 

 

His voice nagged at Baekhyun’s memory, but he had no time to ponder it because CEO Park had taken the papers and then looked around.

 

“Ah, Baekhyun-ah! Come here, please?” 

 

Nervous at having been singled out, Baekhyun made his way through the gathered crowd who’d come to see CEO Park make a spectacle of himself with the guest.     

 

He bowed deeply to the CEO, and then again, just as deeply to his friend.  To CEO Park’s apparent amusement, Yixing bowed back at him, holding it just as long.  Baekhyun wondered if he should bow again, and then CEO Park seized them both by the shoulders and hauled them upright.  

 

“Enough of that, you’ll be here all day if you don’t stop now,” he admonished.  Baekhyun’s lips twitched, and he carefully controlled his face. Yixing had no such compunctions – he’d lost the beanie, Baekhyun noted, and his hair was long and almost black, with turquoise highlights – and he grinned widely before bowing once more, quickly.  

 

“So, Byun Baekhyun, this is my friend Yixing.  He writes for our magazine once a month, and I’d like you to take over as his editor.”  

 

Baekhyun accepted the stack of papers – a manuscript, he realised belatedly – with both hands and a stunned expression.  “Thank you, sir,” he said dumbly, and then turned and bowed to Yixing again. 

 

“Ah, I hope we can work well together?” He hadn’t expected this at all.  

 

“I’m easy to get along with,” Yixing said, laughing huskily.  “Where’s your desk?” 

 

“Oh right,” CEO Park said suddenly.  “Get to work, all of you, I’m not paying you to stand around and gawk!”  He shooed the crowd back to their respective stations, and Baekhyun awkwardly led Yixing back to his cubicle. 

 

“So,” Baekhyun said, feeling like a brick next to the lithe grace of the kid and hating it, “How long have you been writing for us?  I’ve never seen your name before,” he apologised. 

 

“I write under the name  _ Ren _ ,” Yixing said, and Baekhyun nearly tripped over his own feet.  Ren, to his knowledge, wrote erotic short stories that were published in the men’s magazine  _ Flower Boys. _  Some of those stories had gotten Baekhyun through the worst of his dry spells in college.  

 

“Are you joking?” 

 

“Not in the least,” Yixing said, gliding through the aisle like a bird.  Baekhyun was hard pressed to keep up with his pace without outright jogging, and suspected it was the length of his legs that helped him move so swiftly, despite the fact that he actually appeared to be in slow motion.  

 

“I’m over here,” he said, and waved the young author into his cubicle.  Yixing looked around with an air of faint disbelief. 

 

“This is so boring,” he announced.  “You need to personalize it or something.  I’ll be right back.” He left Baekhyun standing alone in his cubicle, clutching the manuscript and gaping as Yixing exited as smoothly as he’d walked in.   

 


	4. In a Dream that I'm Your Only One

 

Yixing returned after just a few minutes, holding a piece of paper with some sort of picture printed on it, and a thumb tack.  Decisively, he pressed the picture against the wall of the cubicle and secured in place with the tack. Baekhyun took one look at the picture and nearly fell over from shock.  

 

It was a picture of Yixing, taking up the entire eight-by-twelve piece of paper, having apparently been printed hastily at the copy machine down the hall.  It wasn’t just Yixing, however, it was a  _ completely nude _ Yixing artfully draped with an enormous snake to cover his modesty.  

 

“E-e-e-excuse me?” 

 

“I model part time,” Yixing explained.  “This’ll help you remember me when you’re editing my stories.” 

 

Baekhyun was torn between tearing it off his wall, and gently taking it down and bringing it home with him, and wondered if he would get into trouble for having it there.  Eventually he decided to move it to a spot above his computer, so that he would be able to see it easily as he sat and worked, but the image would be mostly obscured to an outside viewer by his monitor.  

 

“So you freelance write and model,” Baekhyun asked, curiously.  

 

Yixing waved it off.  “I’ve probably got like five or six part time jobs.  I work most nights in a … call center, and then I spend my days doing whatever I feel like doing.  I felt like writing this week, so I called Channie-yeol and he agreed to get me a spot in the next issue of  _ Flower Boys. _ ” 

 

Baekhyun thought,  _ Channie-yeol? _ And tried to hide his smile.  Yixing seemed like an interesting person, he decided.  “And you dropped it off personally?” 

 

“I ended up being pretty early for my shift at the coffee shop across the street,” Yixing confided.  Baekhyun was impressed that he managed to hold down so many jobs at his age. 

 

“How old are you, anyway?” he blurted out, and then realised he’d been incredibly rude.  Yixing seemed to not notice. 

 

“Twenty seven,” he said.  “Same as Channie-yeol.” 

 

Baekhyun’s embarrassed smile stalled on his face as his jaw fell open.   _ You’re twenty seven? _ He thought, and prayed like hell the words didn’t come out of his mouth.   _ Wait, CEO Park is twenty seven!? _ _ How the hell did he make CEO? _

 

“It’s alright.  I know I look like I’m twelve.”

 

“No, no,” Baekhyun blurted out.  “You’re much too tall.” 

 

Yixing smiled serenely.  “It’s probably all the milk Yeollie and I drank when we were growing up.  He’s my best friend, you know.” 

 

Baekhyun groped for his chair and sank into it.  “Yes, he’s mentioned you,” he said faintly. 

 

“Okay, well, as I’m sure you’ll read, the theme I was going for with this is a phone-sex-worker who gets a call from a mysterious young man and he’s instantly attracted to him despite not knowing what he looks like,” Yixing said, cutting the tense silence like a fish through water.  Baekhyun dropped the manuscript onto the floor. Stammering apologies, he knelt to gather the scattered pages.

 

“H-how did you come up with this idea?” he asked nervously.  It cut a little too close to his current circumstances for comfort.  Yixing waved the question off.

 

“The muse is fickle,” he said, sounding irritated for the first time since entering the office.  “Anyway, do your best with it, please? I really like this one.” And with that, he drifted out of the cubicle and vanished down the hallway.  Sehun appeared a moment later to take his place. 

 

“That’s the boss’s best friend,” he said, sounding excited.  “I can’t wait until I’m done with school and can start doing the editing work, too,” he added, practically vibrating.  After the unnatural calm of Yixing, it was almost exhausting just watching Sehun flit around like an excited bee. “Then people like Yixing will talk to me, too.” 

 

“You can have him,” Baekhyun said faintly, still not over the shock of Yixing’s plot description.  

 

Sehun appeared to not notice.  “It’s so weird that they’re so close, I mean, they’re like night and day.  CEO Park is so energetic all the time, and Yixingie looks like breathing is too much effort for him some days.”  

 

Baekhyun finally got a grip on himself, and interrupted Sehun before he could go on.  “So, is it Luhan?” 

 

As expected, Sehun’s mouth kept moving but his voice faltered into silence at the sudden question.  Sehun smacked him on the arm after a few minutes, apparently recovering from the shock. “Don’t say it so loudly!” he hissed.  “What if someone hears you?” 

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, and then Jongdae slipped into the small space as well.  It was crowded with Sehun; with three people, plus his desk, the cubicle was almost claustrophobic. 

 

“I see you survived your first encounter with the boss’s buddy,” Jongdae said.  “Isn’t he something else? It’s like talking to an alien. Now, what about Luhan?” 

 

Sehun flushed and drew his arm back to hit Jongdae, only to strike someone behind him instead.  All three of them looked up into the unamused face of Luhan himself. 

 

“Nothing about me,” he said darkly.  “Get back to work you guys. Baekhyun, Mr. Park would like to see you when you’re doing looking over the manuscript.” He vanished from the opening, and it was like a dark cloud had lifted and let in light.  Jongdae and Baekhyun turned to each other and started snickering while Sehun whined at having almost been caught. Nonetheless, his coworkers cleared out of his cubicle and left Baekhyun alone with the manuscript.  Part of him wanted to go immediately to CEO Park and see what he wanted, if only to remind himself that the man was indeed as attractive as he remembered, but Luhan had specified  _ after _ he read the manuscript, and he worried briefly that the meeting and the ‘script would be connected.  

 

He skimmed it quickly, taking note of a few spelling errors, and wondered if Yixing had simply typed it up that morning and printed it off without even proofreading it.  Then the story arrested him as the man working the phone service found himself falling in love with the guy he’d never even laid eyes on before – an anonymous caller. The lure of the unknown was a powerful calling, and the man struggled with an ethical dilemma of finding his unknown love by less than honorable means, or allowing him to remain anonymous and simply loving him from afar.  It was a surprisingly moving story in such a short amount of time, and Baekhyun found himself cheering when they accidentally ran into one another in a coffee shop, and the story ended on a happy note as they kissed passionately. 

 

Feeling a little out of breath after the erotic story, Baekhyun stood up and adjusted his trousers before making his way to the elevator that would take him to CEO Park’s office.  

 

Upstairs, CEO Park was waiting for him, perched on the edge of his desk much as Sehun had been sitting on Kyungsoo’s earlier that day.  

 

“Oh, good.  I was thinking, I’d like to borrow you for a couple of days to work as my personal assistant,” CEO Park said.  

 

Baekhyun blinked twice, not sure how to respond.  “Okay, sir,” he said. “And… what would you like me to do?” 

 

“Hmm.  Well, I want coffee.  But not from the break room.  Go bother Yixing for me and make him fix my coffee.” 

 

Baekhyun hastily reconsidered his decision to not let CEO Park drive him to quit.  His mother had been so proud of him when he’d called and told her he’d gotten the intern position, and she’d nearly expired of joy when he updated her that he’d actually been hired.  He didn’t want to think of what she’d say to him if he called her and said he quit because his boss made him fetch coffee. 

 

_ Still,  _ he thought.   _ I spent four years in school to get a degree so I could do  _ something,  _ not just play fetch with the boss. _  He restrained his reaction and smiled instead.  “Yes, sir.” 

 

“Yixing knows how I like it,” CEO Park said, somehow making it sound like an innuendo.  Baekhyun fretted during the elevator ride to the bottom floor over whether he’d meant it how it sounded; were they involved?  Was the CEO warning him away from Yixing? What had he seen earlier?  _ Oh my god,  _ Baekhyun thought suddenly.   _ What does he  _ know?

 

Short of asking him outright, there was no way to find out.  Baekhyun steeled his expression and stepped into the lobby. Kyungsoo was at his desk building a tower out of cards. 

 

“Bored, Kyungsoo-ssi?” 

 

Kyungsoo glanced up at him and shrugged, not deigning to respond.  Baekhyun grinned at the sour receptionist, and then made his way past the desk to the front door.  As he pushed it open, it was torn out of his hand by a gust of wind. He heard Kyungsoo swearing behind him as the breeze apparently knocked over his card house, but Baekhyun was squinting because the wind brought a torrent of rain with it.  He struggled into the gale and closed the door forcefully behind him, wondering if CEO Park had known what the weather was like when he asked Baekhyun to go fetch him coffee from the shop across the street. With him, it was actually impossible to tell.  

 

Baekhyun made it safely across the street, and staggered into the coffee shop, nearly falling over at the sudden absence of wind pushing at him.  He was soaking wet and took a moment to stand in the doorway and wring some of the water out of his hair and jacket before wiping his shoes politely on the rug the employees had laid down and stepping more fully inside the building. 

 

“Welcome,” Yixing called cheerfully, and then recognised him.  “Oh, you’re Baekhyun. What are you doing here? Didn’t you know it’s raining outside?” 

 

He’d lost the hoodie, which revealed that he was wearing a black polo shirt with the company logo embroidered on the chest.  It also explained the jeans, Baekhyun realised, since they were probably a part of his uniform. The most arresting difference, however, was that he’d pulled his hair back into a short, spiky ponytail that stuck out from the back of his head like a puffball.  

 

“Not until I stepped outside,” Baekhyun replied belatedly.  “But C-CEO Park asked me to come over and get him some coffee from you.  He said you’d know his order?” Baekhyun was beginning to shiver in the fiercely air-conditioned building, and wished CEO Park wasn’t Satan reincarnated.  

 

“I know it,” Yixing said.  “He’s gotten the same thing nearly every day for fifteen years.”  He rolled his eyes at his friend’s boring predictability. “What can I get for you?” 

 

Baekhyun was surprised, but shook his head.  “I don’t need anything, thank you.” Yixing shrugged, and pulled a cup down and began preparing the coffee drink.  Baekhyun settled himself at one of the small tables nearby and watched the rain splatter against the windows. The smell of the coffee shop was soothing, and he wondered if Yixing’s clothes would smell like ground coffee when he went home.  

 

A little bell dinged, and Yixing appeared at the counter, holding a plastic bag.  “So it doesn’t get rained on,” he explained. Baekhyun smiled warmly at his thoughtfulness, and accepted the bag.  

 

“How much?” 

 

“On me,” Yixing responded.  “At least for now. I’ll make Chan-yeollie pay me back for it later, so don’t worry about it.  For now, you should get back to work.” 

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes.  “If you could call it that,” he muttered.  Yixing paused in the act of handing the bag over the counter. 

 

“What’s he doing now?” 

 

“I’m apparently his assistant now?” Baekhyun said.  “At least for a couple of days.” 

 

“Ah.  Well, don’t let him walk all over you,” was Yixing’s advice.  It was almost exactly what Lay had told him the night before, and Baekhyun couldn’t help but laugh.  Apparently CEO Park’s reputation was far-flung. 

 

“That’s what someone else told me recently, too,” Baekhyun said, feeling an oblique thrill at referencing his clandestine calls.  “Thank you for the advice,” he added. “But I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t want him to fire me, I kinda need the job.” 

 

Yixing shrugged dismissively.  “You’re more likely to get fired if you’re always bowing and scraping.”  He looked past Baekhyun to the window, and made a shooing gesture. “It looks like the rain is slowing down, hurry and go now.”  Baekhyun bowed to him and hurried out, noticing that the rain did seem to be letting up. It lasted all of about thirty seconds before another cloud rolled through and renewed the downpour, drenching Baekhyun anew just before he reached the front door of the office.  CEO Park was waiting in the lobby, and Baekhyun straightened his spine and marched directly over to him. 

 

“Next time you can get your own coffee,” he announced.  To his surprise, CEO Park burst into unfettered laughter.  

 

“Fair enough.  I didn’t realise it was raining so hard,” he added, and accepted the bag.  He frowned and lifted it, then set it on Kyungsoo’s desk – Baekhyun could  _ see _ Kyungsoo thinking through the possible consequences of yelling at their boss for getting water on his things – and opened it to reveal to large cups.  

 

“One of these is not mine,” CEO Park said slyly, and lifted one of them out of the carrying container.  “I believe this is yours, actually.” 

 

Baekhyun waved both hands to disagree.  “I didn’t order anything,” he said. CEO Park turned the cup until he could see that it was clearly marked,  _ Editor B.  _ Kyungsoo reached across the desk and turned the cup again so  _ he  _ could look at it before shooting Baekhyun a faintly impressed look. 

 

“He remembered your name,” he said.  

 

“What?” 

 

“Yixing is a _ special _ snowflake,” CEO Park said, unintentionally echoing Jongdae from the previous day, and Baekhyun realised that he looked like a madman, but he couldn’t help but laugh.  

 

Later, in his cubicle – CEO Park had promised to call him if he needed anything, but Baekhyun was secretly praying that he’d forget about his “game” and leave him alone for a while – Baekhyun took a sip of the coffee and let out an involuntary noise of pleasure.   It was some of the best coffee he’d ever had, and that was saying a lot. 

 

_ Maybe I’ll have to start going there before work, _ he mused, and set about taking apart the manuscript Yixing had dropped off earlier.  There wasn’t a lot of work to be done, but he did tighten up the writing a little bit, exchanging words where they seemed a little lackluster, and correcting the typos.  When he was done, the emotional impact he’d first felt upon reading the story was dampened by exposure, but it also served to remind him that Lay had made him promise to pick up a toy after work.  He couldn’t believe he was actually going to do it, either, but now he was curious, since the operator in the story had made good use of a toy while speaking to his client. 

 

He typed up the story and sent the revised version to CEO Park’s email for a final check, and was told he could leave whenever he was ready.  

 

“This looks good,” CEO Park had added about the revision.  “I’m glad I hired you, it looks like you did a good job.” 

 

Baekhyun left the office feeling warm, and not even the driving rain could dispel the glow of happiness that clung to him.  


	5. Nobody Knows I Dream About It

 

Despite the rain, Baekhyun stood outside the sex shop and nervously debated on whether to enter.  On one hand, he’d promised, and even if he didn’t know Lay personally, he was beginning to feel like the other man was a friend and he didn’t want to break his word.  

 

On the other hand, he was walking into a  _ sex shop _ because of a promise he made to his  _ phone sex boyfriend. _

 

Then, wondering what had happened to the fearless Baekhyun he’d been in college, he seized his courage with both hands and went in.  Predictably, they carded him at the door, but he was allowed into the back room with no trouble. Once there, he looked around and immediately felt out of his depth.  There were so many  _ options _ .  

 

Wishing he had Lay’s personal number to call and ask for advice –  _ and really, not for any other reason, _ he told himself,  _ I don’t like him like that, I’ve never even met him before – _ Baekhyun wandered nervously into the aisles.  There were a lot of DVDs with disturbing covers.  Since he’d never needed porn to get off, he didn’t understand half of what he was looking at.  Finally, he found a wall with toys. A peppy-looking shop assistant popped up next to him. 

 

“Can I help you find something?” 

 

Baekhyun jumped.  “Ah, I’m not sure?” Wondering how much he could safely reveal, Baekhyun wrung his hands together and then decided to bite the bullet and be honest.  The kid worked in a  _ sex shop. _  Baekhyun was sure he’d seen and heard weirder things.  “You see, my uh… boyfriend, he asked me to buy … one of these.  And I’ve never been shopping for something like this before, I thought they were just for girls.”  

 

The assistant shook his head.  “Not at all,” he said. “Over here is our anal stuff like plugs and beads, but if you’d like, we also have vibrators here.”  He led Baekhyun to the section he’d pointed out, and ran through a list of some of their most popular items. He considerately made himself scarce after making sure Baekhyun knew what he was looking at, and then Baekhyun found himself staring at a wall of toys.  

 

Lay’s voice echoed through his head, low and seductive in his memory, with the words,  _ I’m thinking I want to suck you off while you fuck yourself on a vibrator. _

 

Having narrowed it down to that much, he focused on the vibrators, wide-eyed at the selection.  There were realistic types, some that were unbelievably huge, and even slender, thin plastic versions that were smooth and bullet-shaped.  Baekhyun selected one that was medium-length, and relatively thin that promised quiet-but-powerful vibrations, with a finger-hook base for extra safety.  Feeling awkward and thirteen all over again, Baekhyun took his choice to the counter. 

 

“You’ll probably want some lube, too, if it’s your first time using a toy,” the clerk said.  Baekhyun tried to think if he had any at home, but despaired when he realised it had been so long since he had sex he couldn’t even remember, and accepted the offered bottle to add to his purchase.  “Batteries too?” Baekhyun blushed. 

 

Despite the modest solid-black bag, Baekhyun felt as though everyone passing him on the street would know where it came from.  He took care to hold it closed whenever someone drove by, as though they would be able to see into it from their car and discern what he’d done.   _ Everyone has sex, _ he told himself.   _ A lot of people buy these things, too, _ he rationalised.   _ The shop clerk was very clear about that, it’s not unusual.  _

 

He still felt like an unbelievable pervert for actually having gone out and bought something so personal.  

  
  


By the time he got home, the rain had let up to a light drizzle, but Baekhyun was still soaked through and shivering with cold.  He started peeling off his suit the moment the front door closed behind him, and left a trail of discarded clothing (and one little black bag) behind him on the way to the bathroom.  

 

He took a hot shower, and changed into thick sweat pants and a long-sleeved tee-shirt when he was done.  He still felt cold, however, and curled up on the couch under a blanket to watch television for a while. 

 

*

 

The next morning, Baekhyun woke up on the couch feeling miserable.  His nose was stopped up and his throat hurt, and he was pretty sure he was coming down with a cold, in addition to the fact that he’d actually slept on his own couch.  

 

Fortunately, it was Friday, and he would slog through the day as CEO Park’s personal assistant and then have the weekend to dose himself with cold medicine and hope he could stave off the worst of the symptoms.  His phone was dying, and when he crawled off the couch, he realised he hadn’t even bothered to pick up his soiled clothes from the day before. Cleaning up after himself, he found the bag, and sat down hard. 

 

_ Can’t believe I did that, _ he thought, and took it out of the bag to look at it.  It wasn’t as though he was a stranger to things going up his ass, he reasoned.  Fingers and other body parts had been there before. But somehow the idea of putting a vibrator inside himself was alien, as if the fact that it wasn’t biological made it anathema.  He gathered up his clothes and the bag and took the armload to his bedroom, dumping the clothes into the basket and setting the bag on his nightstand. He felt like he was moving in slow motion through his morning routine, and almost forgot to cover his tattoos.  He idly toyed with the idea of just going into work without the makeup, and shocking everyone, but realised that since he was still new, his position was precarious and he should save the unpleasant surprises for when he’d been there a little bit longer. 

 

After all, CEO Park had proven that he wasn’t against firing people, even though he looked like a guy who was more likely to cuddle them like puppies.  And he must be doing a good job as CEO, because the company was still going strong. It was one of the top publishers of multimedia in Korea, as well, Baekhyun recalled.  They put out books, magazines, and even audio sometimes. So even though he was currently obsessed with pranking Baekhyun, there was more to the CEO than met the eye. It made Baekhyun want to get to know him deeper, peel away those goofy layers and find out what kind of guy he was underneath it all.  

 

Then he realised he was being an enormous girl, and slapped his cheeks to center himself.  When he looked in the mirror to check his appearance, he realised he looked pale and lackluster, but it was a huge step from where he was  _ feeling _ , and he thumbed up his reflection. 

 

_ Baekhyun fighting! _

 

_ * _

 

He was beginning to sound sick when he made it into work, and his nose somehow managed to be running and stopped up at the same time.   _ Definitely getting sick, _ he thought.  

 

CEO Park was at Kyungsoo’s desk again, with –  _ Yixing. _  Baekhyun paused just inside the door and covered himself by fastidiously wiping his feet.  Yixing smiled brightly at him, but it was nothing compared to the beam of pure sunshine CEO Park turned on him. Baekhyun felt even more tired just looking at them both.  

 

“Welcome to work!” CEO Park thundered.  Baekhyun winced. 

 

“Good morning, CEO,” he said, and bowed.  Yixing returned it automatically, and Baekhyun would have continued the cycle had CEO Park not seized him by the shoulder again, holding him immobile.  

 

“Are you sick?” 

 

Yixing was by his side too, and Baekhyun realised he’d never thought it was possible to feel  _ surrounded  _ by two people before.  Yixing placed one hand on his forehead and nodded, looking seriously in CEO Park’s direction. 

 

“He feels warm,” he said, concerned.  

 

“Maybe you should take the day off,” CEO Park suggested.  Baekhyun deflated. 

 

“But I just got here,” he said, and hated that it sounded like he was whining.  It did seem like a horrible waste to come all the way into work just to be told to turn around and go home.  

 

“I brought you coffee,” Yixing said, totally out of the blue, and handed him a steaming cup.  Baekhyun accepted it with mild confusion, trying to sort out the mixed signals he was receiving from the two of them, and took a sip.  The noise that slipped out of his mouth was nothing short of indecent, and he reached up with his other hand to cradle the coffee cup just to try to absorb some of it by osmosis.  When he opened his eyes, he saw both CEO Park and Yixing staring at him with fierce expressions, and took an involuntary step back, wondering if they were about to pounce on him. 

 

“Thank you,” he remembered to say, and bowed.  Yixing bowed back to him, and Baekhyun smiled, hiding it behind the cup as he took another long sip.  “I think I can work today with this,” Baekhyun said to CEO Park, and gestured with the coffee cup. For some reason, CEO Park looked… a little unhappy.  It was just a tightening of his eyebrows as they drew in, forming a crease between his eyes, and a slight downward turn of his lips. It vanished a moment later, though, when Kyungsoo interrupted them with a quiet cough.  

 

“Mr. Park, I think you’d want to see this,” he said, and turned his computer monitor around.  All three of them crowded in close to read the article. 

 

**POPULAR “RISING SUN PRINTING” DEBUTS HOT NEW AUTHOR “TAO”**

**_As_ ** **Shining Star Press’s** **_biggest competition on the market today, Rising Sun Printing, headed by former editor and best-selling author Kris Wu, has debuted a new author known only as_ ** **Tao** **_in this week’s edition of_ ** **WHITE KNIGHT** **_, Rising Sun’s answer to Shining Star’s popular_ ** **Flower Boys…**

 

Baekhyun watched as Yixing and CEO Park’s mouths dropped open in unison.

 

CEO Park was almost apoplectic.  “That lying, thieving, no good  _ son of a –” _

 

“I think he stole our idea,” Yixing interjected with forced calm, trying to head off the storm before it could break.    

Baekhyun took his coffee and slipped past Kyungsoo’s desk while everyone was distracted by CEO Park’s furious rampage.  He took shelter in his cubicle, closing his eyes to inhale the aroma drifting off his coffee before taking a long sip. A noise of pure satisfaction slipped out of him at the heavenly taste.  

 

“You look like you’re getting sex,” Sehun said dubiously.  Baekhyun looked at him across the rim of his cup, and discreetly raised his middle finger.  Sehun, instead of being offended and leaving, simply laughed. “Is that the reason our CEO is in the lobby having hysterics?”  

 

Baekhyun choked on his coffee.  “Hysterics?” 

 

“Are you sick?” 

 

Baekhyun waved him off.  “Apparently our … rival? Debuted some author, and it looks just like they’re copying us.”  

 

“Rising Sun?” Sehun asked knowingly.  “Kris and our CEO used to be friends in like grade school,” he said.  “That’s what Jongin told me, anyway. And something happened and they had a huge fight and never spoke again, but Kris has been copying every move we make.” 

 

“But why now?  Ren’s been writing for our magazine for a couple of years now, why is he just now getting a debut author to copy?” 

 

“Because apparently,” Sehun lowered his voice and leaned in.  “Our Yixing-ah hasn’t always been “Ren.” I heard it was our CEO who handled those stories before he picked up Yixing to write them about a year ago.  Everyone knows Kris has been looking for an author ever since, because he knows our CEO Park has all the best ideas and has to wait to find out what they are so he can duplicate them.  His magazine doesn’t do as well as ours, they’re getting a lot of negative publicity for copy-catting, but that’s what I’ve heard.” 

 

Baekhyun’s mouth dropped open.  Sehun had delivered multiple bombshells in that little diversion and he wasn’t feeling up to processing them all at the same time.  Sehun seemed to realise he’d overloaded Baekhyun’s brain, and made himself scarce, but he was replaced before Baekhyun had even finished working through the implications of  _ CEO Park wrote under the penname Ren _ .  

 

To his surprise, it was the CEO himself.  “You probably shouldn’t be at work today if you’re sick,” he said imperiously, and Baekhyun, feeling shell-shocked and defeated, had no choice but to go home.  Yixing waved to him sadly as he was escorted through the doors by a visibly irate CEO, and turned back to helping Kyungsoo pick up scattered papers. Baekhyun wondered what had happened in the time between his sneaking off and CEO Park kicking him out of the building.  

 

“Uh, sir,” he said.  “I’m not being fired, am I?” 

 

CEO Park stopped, stunned.  “Of course not! But it’s more important than ever that our employees be in perfect condition to work, especially since we have to deal with…  _ him. _  Take the three-day weekend and get better, and be ready to kick some Chinese-Canadian  _ ass _ on Monday!”  

 

With that, Baekhyun was unceremoniously dumped outside and left to flounder back to the bus stop on his own.   

 


	6. It's Gonna Glow in the Dark

 

Baekhyun cradled the coffee Yixing had brought him, unable to decide if he was too hot or too cold.  He was shivering, but his face felt like the surface of the sun.  _ Great, _ he thought to himself.   _ Now I’ve got a fever on top of everything else. _  He sniffed, and debated on whether to use his sleeve as a handkerchief before deciding it was too much effort.  He slung himself into the bench and leaned back, feeling a headache throb to life behind his eyes. 

 

“Hey, are you okay?” 

 

Baekhyun opened his eyes to see Yixing standing over him with a concerned look.  “I hate being sick,” Baekhyun grouched. Yixing smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.  

 

“I see.  Will you be able to get home alright?” 

 

“I’m sick,” Baekhyun said, lips twisting.  He couldn’t help the appreciative once-over he gave Yixing, though he wasn’t in any mood to do anything with him.  “Not helpless.” 

 

Yixing shrugged gracefully and lowered himself to the bench beside Baekhyun.  “Channie-yeol asked me to make sure you got home okay, though. You wouldn’t turn down an order from your boss, would you?” The look he gave, one eyebrow carefully arched, made him seem older than he was despite the youthful attire.   

 

Baekhyun was simultaneously touched and terrified.  He couldn’t believe the two of them were so much older than him, especially when Yixing failed to hold the parental look and dissolved into a wry grin as he ruffled Baekhyun’s hair.  The motion soothed his headache slightly, and Baekhyun leaned into it before he could stop himself. “S-sorry,” he said, and turned the motion into a forward leaning bow. Yixing met him halfway, and shrugged again.  

 

“The bus is here,” he said, and stood, reaching down to help Baekhyun stand.  Baekhyun almost snapped at him, but a wave of dizziness washed over him as he rose and he nearly stumbled into the older man.  “Whoa,” Yixing murmured, and seized him by the waist. There was surprising strength in his wiry form, and Baekhyun, hating himself for feeling helpless, allowed himself to be guided up the stairs and into a seat.  The bus lurched back into motion, and Baekhyun was soothed by the gentle purr of the engine. 

 

The next thing he knew, someone was shaking his arm and calling his name.  Baekhyun opened his eyes and realised he was cushioned against a soft field of blue.  Pulling back, he was shocked to realise he’d fallen asleep and leaned onto Yixing’s shoulder.  Mortified, he bowed in his seat. “I’m so sorry!” 

 

Yixing smiled more genuinely.  “It’s all good,” he said calmly.  “But I don’t know where you live.”  

 

Baekhyun blinked around him, and then took in the surroundings.  “Next stop,” he said blearily. He was still tired, and wished he could just get home and flop into bed already.  In the back of his mind was a tiny voice reminding him to thank CEO Park for allowing him to leave for the day so he could rest.  This reminded him of Kris Wu, and their rival publisher. As a longtime fan of Shining Star, he’d never even heard of Rising Sun, but that same background of fandom threw its weight behind his professional pride, and he was determined to outshine anyone Kris could hire, and anything he could produce.  He felt the weight of someone’s gaze on him, and glanced up, only to see the side of Yixing’s face as the other man looked away rapidly. 

 

“Don’t you have to work today, too?” Baekhyun asked, suddenly curious as to why Yixing was accompanying him.  

 

Yixing shrugged silently and met his eyes again.  “It’s not like I need to work,” he said finally. “Taking one day off won’t kill me.” He flashed a mega-watt smile at Baekhyun, who returned it wanly.  The bus rolled to a stop, and Baekhyun staggered to his feet. 

 

“You don’t need to babysit me, though,” he argued as they stepped off the bus.  “Not just because CEO Park asked you to.” 

 

“Ah, Baekhyunnie,” Yixing sighed.  Baekhyun wondered when they’d decide on a nickname for him and quit mangling his name.  “One of the things you need to learn about me is that I never do anything I don’t want to do.” He patted Baekhyun’s shoulder, and then looked around alertly.  “So, where do you live?” 

 

Baekhyun gestured to the apartment building across from the bus station.  “Third floor,” he said. Just standing upright was taking all of his energy reserves, and he cursed CEO Park silently, for sending him out into the rain and forcing him to get sick.  Yixing, displaying more energy than Baekhyun had seen yet, slipped an arm around his shoulders and tugged him close, guiding him across the street. Baekhyun crossed with him, and then continued his half-hearted interrogation. “So why do you want to take care of me?” 

 

Yixing’s face from this angle was beautiful, Baekhyun realised, looking up at him.  He looked serious and alert, but his eyes crinkled slightly at the corners as he smiled softly.  Yixing answered without looking at him. “Because I like you, of course.” 

 

Embarrassment raced through Baekhyun, but he was already so hot, he couldn’t even tell if he blushed.  “O-oh,” he said intelligently. 

 

“Which apartment?” 

 

“309,” Baekhyun replied absently, suddenly struggling to remember if he’d put the tell-tale black bag away, or picked up his clothes.  Yixing lead him into the elevator, still holding him close, and waved cheerfully to his neighbours as the doors closed behind them. Then they were in his apartment, and Baekhyun sighed gratefully as he took in the fairly neat appearance.  

 

Yixing began tugging on his jacket.  “You should go to bed,” he said. “Get some rest; I’ll bring you some tea or something.”  

 

Baekhyun reached up, and felt the gel in his hair.  “I need a shower first,” he mumbled. “Excuse me.” He slipped into his bedroom, wondering where the hell the bag had gotten to, and stripped to shower.  The gentle water pressure nearly unbalanced him, but once he was clean of gel and makeup and sweat, he felt a bit better. The steam had even cleared his breathing up a little bit.  He dried off and got into his pyjamas, and then jumped half out of his skin when he opened the bathroom door to reveal an unhappy Yixing directly on the other side. 

 

“You have no food,” Yixing lamented.  “What do you eat? Takeou–” Yixing’s voice faded as his mouth shut with an audible sound as he took in Baekhyun’s appearance.  He hadn’t bothered to brush his hair, only towelled it dry, and the concealer that usually hid his tattoos was washed away. With his hair falling messily into his face, and the evidence of his misspent youth on full display, Baekhyun felt a definite flush creeping up his neck as Yixing stared.  

 

“Y-yeah,” he said finally.  

 

Yixing’s eyes snapped back up to his face, and he scowled.  “You can’t eat takeout when you’re sick,” he informed Baekhyun loftily.  “I’m going to the store. Go lie down,” he urged, and then turned on his heel and glided away.  A moment later, Baekhyun heard him – presumably on the phone – talking to someone. “I need you to come get me, because I left my car –” and then the front door opened and closed, and the voice faded.  Baekhyun shook his head, which brought his headache back to full power, and then shuffled into his bedroom before falling face first into his mattress. Not even bothering to cover up, he fell asleep where he was, too worn out by the events of the morning to care. 

 

*

 

“Aigoo, what am I going to do with you?” 

 

Someone was touching him.  Without fully awakening, Baekhyun reached out and grabbed, his fingers curling around a delicate-boned limb.  He opened his eyes slowly and stared, uncomprehendingly, at the person looming over his bed. Yixing grinned wryly, and held his arm up.  “Will you let me go so I can get the covers over you, at least?” 

 

Baekhyun contemplated the request in silence, and then begrudgingly released Yixing’s hand.  “What are you doing here?” 

 

Yixing leaned over and felt his forehead.  “You’re still warm. Here, I made some Yuzu tea and a bit of chicken and ginseng soup.”  He offered two mugs. Baekhyun, not quite certain if he was dreaming, accepted one and found it to be the soup.  It soothed his throat on the way down, and he belatedly remembered Yixing escorting him home after he’d been kicked out of work for his illness.  This also reminded him that CEO Park was in a frothing rage over Kris Wu’s debut of a rival author, and wondered what he could do about it, and if CEO Park was actually expecting them to team up and literally go kick Wu in the ass. 

 

_ Shut up, brain, _ he told himself silently, before he could make even more of a fool of himself than he already had by asking.  “Thank you,” he remembered to say. He finished the soup and got most of the tea down him before he began to feel sleepy again.  Yixing pressed a cool, damp cloth to his forehead, and straightened. Acting without his consent, Baekhyun’s hand shot out and seized Yixing by the wrist again.  They both looked at it in silence, before Baekhyun, horrified, let go and buried his face in the pillow. 

 

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbled.  “I’ve never had anyone take care of me when I was sick before, I don’t know why I did that.” 

 

Yixing laughed, low and smooth, and Baekhyun froze.  The thought slipped through his aching mind like a fish, though, and was gone before he could seize on it.  “Don’t worry,” Yixing reassured him. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

 

Baekhyun fell asleep before he could process that statement.  

 

*

 

When he woke again, the sun was streaming through the window, and his head felt clearer.  Inhaling curiously through his nose, Baekhyun was grateful that he could, and felt his own head, trying to gauge his temperature.  It felt normal, and although he was still a little muzzy, the sickness seemed to have passed. 

 

A wonderful scent drifted through the air, and lured him out of bed, wondering which of his neighbours was cooking something that made its way into his apartment.  He stumbled out into the living room, and heard something moving in the kitchen. At first fearing a robber, memory kicked him in the head as he realised Yixing must have come back.  As he turned into the tiny kitchen, he was greeted by the sight of Yixing’s broad, bare shoulders and the puffy ponytail of his multihued hair above sinfully tight jeans and socked feet.  

 

“Good morning,” Baekhyun said, wondering how his voice would sound, and was pleased when it was rough with the usual morning bleariness and not congestion.  Yixing turned, revealing a smudge of red dust across his cheek, still stirring whatever was on the stove. 

 

“You’re up,” he announced.  “How are you feeling?”

 

“What are you making?” 

 

They spoke over one another, and then exchanged shy smiles.  “You first,” Baekhyun insisted, wondering why Yixing wasn’t wearing a shirt.  He pointedly kept his eyes focused on the other man’s face, and then had to forcibly restrain himself from stepping closer and brushing away the red streak.  Just because the man had cooked for him when he was ill didn’t make them  _ involved _ , he reminded himself, and focused on the pot instead.  

 

“You sound better,” Yixing said, and languidly reached over and lowered the temperature on the stove before crossing the kitchen to press one smooth hand against Baekhyun’s forehead.  “You feel better, too.” He smiled, and then Baekhyun was treated to the rare delight of being unabashedly checked out as Yixing’s eyes dropped slowly and covered every inch of him with a gaze that felt almost physical.  His hand dropped, too, but not to his side. Baekhyun shivered slightly when Yixing’s cool fingers lightly stroked the tattoo on his neck. “ _ Love as thou wilt?” _

 

“It’s –” he cleared his throat and tried again after his voice came out an octave too high.  “It’s from a book,” Baekhyun explained. 

 

“I see.” 

 

Yixing was entirely too close for comfort.  Baekhyun swallowed as the piercing eyes slowly took in the rest of him, lingering on his shirt.  Baekhyun looked down, wondering if he’d put on something offensive the night before, and realised that his piercings were detectible through the thin cotton.  This reminded him of Lay’s interest, which also reminded him that he hadn’t had any bedtime company in months, and there was Yixing, staring at his chest like he’d sprouted a third arm, without wearing a shirt of his own, and Baekhyun cleared his throat again and stepped away from Yixing’s powerful interest.  

 

“What are you making?” he repeated, and leaned over to sniff the pot.  “It smells wonderful.” 

 

“Spicy bean sprout soup,” Yixing replied after a moment.  “I’ve heard it’s good for colds. If it’s not, you can blame Channie-yeol,” he added.  

 

“CEO Park?” Baekhyun was startled. 

 

“He’s the one who suggested it,” Yixing informed him serenely.  The intense focus was gone, and he smoothly stepped around Baekhyun to continue stirring, adding in some green onions before turning the stove off entirely.  “Would you like some tea?”

 

“Coffee,” Baekhyun corrected.

 

“Tea,” Yixing argued.  “Saengkang tea, or get out of the kitchen.” Yixing made shooing motions with the spoon in his hand.

 

“But I want coffee,” Baekhyun whined.  

 

Yixing all but shoved him out of his own kitchen, promising that the  _ tea _ would be out shortly.  Defeated, Baekhyun retreated to the sitting room but barely made it two steps before he had to stop and stare.  There was a mussed up blanket on the couch, and a pile of clothes that weren’t his perched on the arm. He went hot, then cold, then warm. 

 

“Did you stay the night?” he asked, raising his voice a little to be heard in the next room. 

 

Yixing popped his head out of the kitchen.  Part of his hair was slipping from its restraint, falling around his face in a bright blue frame.  “I told you last night I wasn’t going anywhere. Why?” 

 

Baekhyun’s mouth moved silently for a long moment.  “Thank you,” he said finally, and met Yixing’s eyes.  The older man smiled warmly, and then ducked back into the kitchen.  Baekhyun straightened the blanket and sat down, still in a state of half-disbelief that someone had stayed over, just to make sure he was alright when he was sick.  Across the room, the black bag drew his attention, and Baekhyun flew off the couch and snatched it up, peeking inside to try and discern if Yixing had looked at what it contained.  Face red, he streaked into the bedroom and shoved the bag and its incriminating contents under the bed. 

 

“Are you okay?  Breakfast is ready,” Yixing called.     

 

“I-I’m fine!” Baekhyun shouted back, and then shut the bedroom door behind him, hoping beyond hope that Yixing hadn’t noticed the bag.  

 

They sat down at the small table Baekhyun rarely utilised, and ate spicy bean sprout soup, and rice, grilled short ribs, seasoned kelp and radish strip kimchi.  Baekhyun, who rarely ate anything more than a bowl of rice and maybe some fruit in the morning, felt like this was a feast, and couldn’t stop thanking Yixing for going to so much effort. 

 

After the meal, Yixing pronounced Baekhyun’s fever much reduced, and left to go to one of his many jobs.  Baekhyun cleaned the kitchen in silence, and then curled up on the couch. Now there were  _ three  _ people in his life, and could things get any more complicated?  An unrequited crush on his boss, a powerful lust after his boss’s best friend – which might actually be reciprocal, based on the once-over Yixing had given him earlier, he realised – and a growing sense of camaraderie with the man on the other end of the phone.  He shifted, contemplating how his life had gone from the easy, loose freestyling world he’d occupied in college to this morass of tangled emotions and complicated relationships. Something sharp dug into his side and he reached down to find out what it was.

 

Yixing’s unicorn necklace dangled from two fingers, and, feeling like a complete girl, Baekhyun held it close until it took on the heat of his body.  


	7. Sometimes the moon looks brighter than the sun

UpThe phone rang as he pushed a stack of resumes away from him with a sigh.  He answered the phone with a halfhearted, “Yes?”

 

“I need you to come get me, because I left my car with Jaejoong,” Yixing announced.  Chanyeol held the phone away from his face for a moment and just stared at it. 

 

“Why do you need a ride?” 

 

“Because your kid has no food in this house, and I’m not ordering fast food for someone who’s sick,” Yixing said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.  Chanyeol’s fingers curled into a fist on his knee. 

 

“I just told you to make sure he got home okay,” Chanyeol said, trying to keep his tone light.  “Are you moving in?” 

 

“That’d be way too fast, even for me.  Do you think I have those kind of moves?” 

 

Chanyeol drummed his fingers on the desk, and then stood up abruptly.  “I know what your reputation is,” he said, and moved towards the door. He couldn’t deny a certain worry for his newest employee, especially since it was his fault the man had gotten sick in the first place.  Reading his mind, Yixing spoke again. 

 

“Whatever.  I’m just here because you forced him to come out in the pouring rain for your coffee.” 

 

“Whatever,” Chanyeol agreed, waiting for the elevator.  “Where are you?” 

 

“Outside his apartment.” 

 

Chanyeol wrestled with irrational jealousy for a long moment.  The little voice in the back of his head that had immediately growled  _ Mine! _ When he’d first seen Byun Baekhyun lined up with the rest of the summer interns was at war with his more professional side, which discouraged office romances, and insisted that getting involved with his junior editor would be a Very Bad Idea.  “Yixingah, you’re about as useful as a bucket with a hole in the bottom.  _ Where _ is his apartment?”

 

Yixing gave the address as Chanyeol reached his car, and the CEO hung up as he climbed into it.  A short drive later, and he pulled up in front of the Sunny!Lotus apartment building, and waited for Yixing to detach himself from the wall he’d been leaning against.  

 

“So where are we going?” 

 

Yixing shrugged gracefully.  Chanyeol sighed. Sometimes Yixing made him feel like an ox.  “I don’t care. A grocery store. There’s probably one nearby.” 

 

“When’s the last time you went grocery shopping?” 

 

Wide-eyed, Yixing repeated the shrug.  “I couldn’t say.”

 

Chanyeol laughed, and reached over and ruffled Yixing’s multi-coloured hair.  “You’re like an alien, did you know? Half my employees are convinced you’re from a different planet.” 

 

Yixing laughed lightly.  “Maybe I am,” he said. “It might explain a lot of things.” 

 

“Wouldn’t you know?” 

 

“There’s a lot of things we don’t know.  For example, did you know Baekhyunnie has tattoos?”

 

Chanyeol blinked in surprise, and then turned to look at his friend.  “And how do you know that?” 

 

“There’s a store there,” Yixing pointed out in a blatant nonsequitur.  “He took a shower when he got home. That’s when I thought I’d make him some soup or something to help him feel better, but there’s nothing but milk and a couple of kiwis in his fridge.”  Yixing made a rude noise to demonstrate his displeasure with the young man’s eating habits. “And about seven different menus stuck to the outside of it,” he added. “I don’t think he eats well.”  

 

“Hmm,” Chanyeol said noncommittally, and shifted lanes to turn into the store Yixing had pointed out.  He was, he realised, jealous of Yixing’s ability to simply waltz into Baekhyun’s apartment and begin poking around.  He was also jealous of the ease with which Yixing had insinuated himself into Baekhyun’s life.  _ If I’d never hired him, Yixing wouldn’t have had a chance to meet him, _ he thought, and then remembered that if he’d never hired the young man,  _ he _ wouldn’t know him either.  It wasn’t the first time someone had stolen something precious from him, but this time he was determined to gracefully allow this thing between Yixing and Baekhyun to run its course.   _ After all, I doubt it’ll last more than a few weeks. _  He immediately felt guilty for the uncharitable thought; Yixing was, after all, his lifelong best friend.  He forcibly didn’t think about his  _ other _ friend, the one who no longer existed.  

 

“So what were you planning to buy?” Chanyeol asked brightly.  

 

Yixing looked around and shrugged for a third time.  “Everything?” 

 

Chanyeol laughed.  

 

*

 

Once inside the store, Yixing became as difficult to manage as a three year old child.  He literally wanted to buy  _ everything _ for Baekhyun, and twice Chanyeol had to put something back that Yixing placed in the cart, simply because it was too impractical.  

 

“If he eats out all the time, he might not know what to do with this,” Chanyeol said thoughtfully as Yixing carefully examined every cut of meat in the butcher’s department.  

 

“Then why would he have everything?”

 

Chanyeol mentally counted to ten.  “What everything?” 

 

“He has nine hundred different spatulas and spoons, and pots, and pans, and a rice cooker, and really nice plates, and an expensive set of cooking knives.  No one collects that much kitchen paraphernalia unless they know what to do with it.” Yixing decisively settled on three packages of premium beef, a thing of ribs, and a whole chicken, and shuttled them into the rapidly-filling basket.  “He has no tea pot, though,” he added, almost as an afterthought as they passed the tea and coffee aisle. 

 

“Yuzu tea,” Chanyeol said.  “It always makes me feel better.”  He plucked a package of teabags off the shelf.  Beside him, Yixing also picked up ginger tea. He contemplated them both for a long moment, and then placed them both into the cart.  “We’ll need some ginseng, and some spicy bean sprouts, too,” Chanyeol said, wracking his brain for any type of food or drink that would assist Baekhyun in getting over his illness.  

 

Yixing looked startled.  “Why?”

 

“Spicy bean sprout soup, of course.” Chanyeol said cheerfully. “It’s the best thing for colds.”  

 

They made their way into the vegetable section, and between them managed to find enough food to probably fill Baekhyun’s refrigerator for a month.  Yixing picked up a kettle, and declared that they had everything he’d need. 

 

“Going out shopping like this feels like we’re married,” Yixing commented as they waited in the checkout line.  Chanyeol laughed heartily. 

 

“Does that make Byun our child?” 

 

“We  _ would _ have a beautiful, wild child together,” Yixing said slyly.  Chanyeol’s eyebrows met his hairline. 

 

Like a graceful dancer, Yixing gestured in the air.  “You can’t deny he’s beautiful,” he said. Warily, Chanyeol agreed and motioned for him to continue.  “Well, he’s got piercings and tattoos, too. I’m sure he was a wild animal in college.” 

 

The mental images this brought to mind were nothing short of indecent, and Chanyeol cleared his throat.   _ Can’t get involved with employees, _ he reminded himself.   _ Plus, I can’t take him from Yixing. _  An evil voice popped up in the back of his mind, suggesting he wait until Yixing tired of Baekhyun and then step in to be the replacement.  He didn’t want to be a rebound, especially not from Yixing, but he also couldn’t bear the thought of Baekhyun being with someone else. Yixing, he could handle.  

 

“You’re how old, and you still dye your hair weird colours.  I’m just grateful Byun didn’t show up with a mohawk or something,” Chanyeol said.  

 

“Mm,” Yixing replied, looking at something only he could see with a faint smile on his face.  “No, it would be dreadful to cut that hair,” he said, still incomprehensible until Chanyeol realised he’d probably seen Baekhyun coming out of the shower, and wondered if the young man had bothered to get dressed, and exactly  _ how much _ Yixing had already seen.  

 

His brain told him that this line of thought was dangerous and inappropriate, but his heart insisted that he was free to wish and wonder, as long as he didn’t touch.  

 

They finished checking out, and were putting the groceries into the car when Chanyeol laughed.  “It’s a good thing I brought my jeep today, and not the bike,” he said. “We’d never have gotten any of this back.” 

 

“Maybe you knew?”

 

“Maybe I expected it to rain again today,” Chanyeol countered.  “Let’s get this back to his apartment.”

 

*

 

Chanyeol felt exceedingly awkward stepping into Baekhyun’s apartment.  He wasn’t sure where his dutiful employee was, but the fact was he hadn’t been invited.  To overcome it, he pulled out the pad of sticky-notes he’d brought for this purpose, and began writing on them.  Yixing disappeared into the small flat like he’d been there a thousand times, and came back with a smile on his face a few minutes later.  

 

“He’s sleeping,” he said.  “But what a fool he is. Go see how he laid down.” 

 

Curiousity warred with his better sense, and won. He abandoned the notes, stepped into the hallway, and saw the bedroom door wide open, with Baekhyun sleeping soundly, stretched across the mattress at an angle.  It looked as if he’d simply fallen into bed and gone to sleep. Hearing something behind him, Chanyeol managed to wipe the fond smile off his face, but not before Yixing tilted his head curiously and said, “Ahh.” 

 

“What?” Chanyeol asked, backing out of the doorway and closing the door behind them.  

 

“You do like him.” 

 

“He’s my employee,” Chanyeol negated.  

 

“He’s still gorgeous.  And smart.” Yixing sighed.  “And he likes you, too.” 

 

Chanyeol tripped over nothing as the signals between his brain and his feet staggered to a halt.  “What? How do you know that?” 

 

“Confidentiality,” Yixing claimed.  Chanyeol realised Baekhyun must be one of the callers at Yixing’s night job, and his jaw dropped.  Suddenly, the volatile argument between Baekhyun and Jongdae the other day made a  _ lot more sense. _  Yixing pressed his chin up with one finger.  “You’ll catch flies,” he warned, laughing, and turned towards the kitchen.  While Yixing bustled around in the next room, Chanyeol took in the details of Baekhyun’s apartment.  

 

It was all fairly quaint, for all that it was so small.  A large television took up most of one wall, and was flanked by a bookshelf half filled by movies, and half with books.  A video game console lingered beneath the TV, with a few games stacked neatly beside it. A glass rested on the coffee table, and Chanyeol decided it was water.  It seemed to be a normal young man’s apartment, until he looked under the coffee table, and found a dozen or more magazines with a very familiar cover. It was all  _ Flower Boys. _  Chanyeol smiled in spite of himself, and reevaluated his opinion of Baekhyun upwards once more.  

 

A little black bag beside the television caught his attention, and despite the urgings of his hindbrain to stop snooping, he couldn’t help but wonder what was inside it.  He crossed the room, and looked, and then flushed to the roots of his hair. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Yixing appeared at his side, looking up at him curiously before following his stunned gaze towards the bag.  “Prying again?” 

 

“Y-yeah,” Chanyeol said, and backed away from it to go check in on Baekhyun once more before he left.  “I’ve got to get going,” he said. “We’re going to print on  _ Flower Boys _ in a week, and I need to finalise the layouts.” 

 

“Shouldn’t you have done that already?” Yixing called to his back, but he was already on his way out.  

 

_ Just forget what you’ve seen, and don’t treat him any differently.  If you don’t say anything, he’ll never know you know. _

 

**

 

Yixing filled the kettle, and set it over the burner on the stove before going to find out why Chanyeol was so quiet.  He found his friend smiling warmly at a pile of magazines, and watched him go and peer into a bag on the entertainment center.  His face turned grey under the tan, and Yixing crossed the room at a lope, wondering what he’d seen. Moments later, Chanyeol was all but running from the apartment.  Yixing stared after him, baffled, and then pulled the bag towards him to find out what had sent the imperturbable Chanyeol fleeing with his tail tucked between his legs.  

 

When he saw what was inside the bag, he felt a warm flush spread up his body from his lower stomach.   _ He bought one. _  Swallowing hard against the impulse to go and wake Baekhyun up with a kiss, he replaced the bag and jumped when the kettle whistled.  He prepared the tea and soup with half his mind elsewhere, already contemplating what he’d do when Baekhyun called him again. It was hard to believe the young man hadn’t connected him with Lay, but then he probably had more on his mind, what with his mixed feelings for Chanyeol.  

 

Letting himself into Baekhyun’s room, he looked around and tried to imagine what he looked like when he called, if he would lie on his bed diagonally like that, or tuck his pillows up against the wall.  Then he gave himself a mental slap, reminded himself that Baekhyun was ill, and needed care, and then set the mugs down so he could wake the younger man up and get him into bed properly.

 

_ That _ thought set off all kinds of sparks behind his eyes, and he forcibly took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair.  “Aigoo,” he said, exhaling as he leaned over to shake Baekhyun awake. “What am I going to do with you?” 

 

Baekhyun reached out, lightning fast, and seized his wrist.  Yixing blinked at him as Baekhyun’s eyes opened slowly, and then stared in silence.  Yixing grinned at him and lifted his hand, still manacled by Baekhyun’s grip. “Will you let go so I can get the covers over you, at least?” he asked.  

 

Baekhyun was silent for a long moment, and Yixing wondered if he always woke up this slowly.  Yixing’s wrist was reluctantly released, and Baekhyun said, “What are you doing here?” 

 

Yixing didn’t answer, opting instead to reach out and feel for his temperature.  He knew his usual actions were baffling to most people, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself.  He’d lived life by drifting from whatever interested him, leaving it behind as long as it was no longer engaging.  As he’d told Baekhyun earlier that day, he never did anything he didn’t want to. “You’re still warm,” he said, and reached back for the mugs he’d brought.  “Here, I made some Yuzu tea and bit of chicken and ginseng soup.” 

 

Baekhyun cautiously reached out and took one, taking a long sip.  His eyes closed as he inhaled the steam, and Yixing swallowed against the urge to just push him over and climb on top of him.  “Thank you,” he said, and finished the soup before accepting the tea. Before long, he was yawning, and Yixing bustled around the room, wondering if he was the mother or the father in their weird little relationship scenario as he helped Baekhyun actually get into bed.  He placed the cool rag he’d brought against Baekhyun’s too-warm forehead, and was about to leave when Baekhyun grabbed his wrist again. Baekhyun was staring at his hand like it didn’t belong to him, and Yixing was staring at Baekhyun, wondering if this was a particular habit of his.  

 

Baekhyun let go, and rolled over to bury his face in the pillow.  “I’m so sorry,” he mumbled, turning his head just far enough to be heard.  “I’ve never had anyone take care of me when I was sick before. I don’t know why I did that,” he added, honesty in his tone and penitent expression. Yixing was overwhelmed by the extremely odd sensation of wanting to be the one who would take care of him forever, and shook himself to get rid of it.  He’d never been tied down to anything, or anyone, in his life. He laughed to cover his embarrassment. 

 

“Don’t worry,” he said.  “I’m not going anywhere.” 

 

Baekhyun’s lips turned up in a childish, happy smile as he drifted quickly off to sleep.  Yixing brushed his hair of his forehead, and contemplated the tattoo on his neck.  _ Love as thou wilt. _  It spoke volumes about the young man who would get words like that permanently etched into his skin.  The hints of another tattoo peeked up above the collar of his shirt, and Yixing resolved to find out the location and shape of every one of his tattoos, as well as the story behind them, when he’d recovered.  

 

He found himself reaching out to touch the exposed skin of his throat, and froze, withdrawing his hand before he could find out if the tattoo was as soft as the rest of him looked.  He exited the room before any other kind of temptation could present itself – such as lifting the covers and crawling into bed beside him, which, despite his feelings and his confidence that they were returned, he doubted Baekhyun would appreciate at this stage of their budding relationship.  

 

Oh yes, he realised.  Baekhyun was attracted to him.  It was in the way his eyes flicked over every part of him, apparently without Baekhyun even noticing what he was doing.  It was in the light flush that tinged his cheeks whenever Yixing met his eyes, and the way his lips turned up at the corners whenever Yixing did anything.  The only problem was, Baekhyun had just as much trouble meeting Chanyeol’s eyes, and a similar tendency to blush and smile whenever Chanyeol was nearby. More than once yesterday, Yixing had caught him blushing and looking away from Chanyeol, only to lay eyes on Yixing himself and blush further and avert his gaze to something unrelated.  Chanyeol obviously was attracted to him in return, but his curious sense of honour held him back from starting anything with an employee, and Yixing himself was unsure of whether he wanted to come between Chanyeol and his chance at happiness. 

 

Since Baekhyun’s room was the only one in the small apartment with a bed, and since he’d already declared it off-limits to himself, Yixing poked around until he found a linen closet with extra blankets and even some brand new pillows that were still in the wrapping.  The sight of the towels reminded him that he needed a shower, and despite his promise not to leave Baekhyun alone, he figured the five minute walk back to his apartment wouldn’t be noticeable by the sleeping editor. He slipped out and chuckled to himself, wondering how they’d lived so close to one another and yet never run into each other until they met on the bus.  Sweeping into his flat, he found the maid hard at work mopping, and grinned at her. 

 

“I’m staying at a friend’s house tonight, so there’s no need to cook,” he informed her.  She bowed low, reminding him of Baekhyun, and he returned it politely. She’d been nursemaid, cook, laundress, seamstress, and personal assistant for so long that he sometimes forgot how normal people got by in their lives.  He rifled through his clothes, trying to find something that didn’t make him look like a preteen, and decided that he’d shower at Baekhyun’s to avoid staying away any longer than he already had. With clothes in hand, he jogged back to Baekhyun’s apartment and let himself in, checking on the sick younger man before stripping and showering quickly.  He saw all kinds of makeup in the bathroom, from concealer to eyeliner, to lipstick and nail polish. Wondering what kind of life Baekhyun lead before becoming a junior editor for Chanyeol, Yixing dried himself off, and dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and socks. He made himself a nest of sorts out of the blanket and curled up on the couch in front of the TV.    

 

*

 

The next morning, he awoke refreshed and languid, despite not having slept on the couch since he was a teenager.  He stretched out, then rolled to his feet and decided to check on Baekhyun, who was still sleeping deeply. His stomach grumbled, and he entered the kitchen, wondering what to make.  

 

Halfway through the breakfast preparations, a sleepy voice rumbled behind him.  “Good morning.” 

 

Yixing turned around, feeling domestic.  “You’re up,” he noted. “How are you feeling?” 

 

“What are you making?” Baekhyun said at the same time, and then blushed becomingly.  Yixing smiled at him. “You first,” he insisted, jerking his gaze up from Yixing’s chest to his face, and from there focusing on the contents of the stovetop.  Yixing would have given his left hand to know what Baekhyun was thinking in that moment. 

 

“You sound better,” Yixing said, feeling pleased, and turned the temperature down so that the soup would simmer instead of boil.  He crossed the space between them and felt Baekhyun’s forehead, wanting to ensure the fever had broken, and relaxed as relief washed through him.  “You feel better, too,” he announced, and then deliberately let his eyes roam over Baekhyun’s body, wondering where the tattoos were. He lost the battle against touching Baekhyun and stroked the skin above the tattoo on his neck, oddly fascinated with the ink.  “ _ Love as thou wilt? _ ” he asked, genuinely curious.  

 

“It’s,” Baekhyun began, and then cleared his throat.  “It’s from a book,” he said. 

 

“I see,” Yixing commented distantly, already wondering what kind of book would move Baekhyun to tattoo part of it onto his skin.  He lowered his eyes again, and realised the tantalizing promise of  _ nipple rings _ was visible through the thin material of his tee shirt.  Vivid recollections of  _ exactly _ what he wanted to do with those piercings danced through his head, as he tried to reconcile the husky voice on the phone to this innocent kid standing in front of him.  His heart pounded and he became almost dizzy as all the blood in his body rushed south. Before he could do something silly, like reach out and touch one of them, Baekhyun cleared his throat and backed up in a cute little hitch-step dance.  

 

“What are you making?” He asked again.  “It smells wonderful.” Baekhyun’s eyes closed as he inhaled, a habit Yixing was already beginning to find deplorably cute.  

 

What  _ was  _ he making? He wondered absently.  “Spicy bean sprout soup,” he said finally.  “I’ve heard it’s good for colds.” He remembered where he’d heard that, and decided to try taking the noble route.  “If it’s not, you can blame Channie-yeol.” 

 

“CEO Park?” Baekhyun sounded baffled instead of touched, and Yixing wondered if maybe he’d overestimated Baekhyun’s crush on his boss.  

 

“He’s the one who suggested it,” Yixing said, hinting that  _ CEO Park _ was just as concerned about Baekhyun’s unexpected illness as he was.  He sighed internally and gauged the soup, reckoning it was time to add in the final ingredients and serve it.  “Would you like some tea?” he asked, eyes falling on Baekhyun’s new kettle. He hid a wry grin by turning his head, and wondered what Baekhyun would think when he found out what they’d bought him.  

 

“Coffee,” Baekhyun said hopefully.  Yixing turned a dour gaze on him. 

 

“Tea,” he said reproachfully, thinking,  _ You idiot, you’re not drinking coffee when you’re still sick. _  “Saengkang tea, or get out of the kitchen,” he added, taking in Baekhyun’s belligerent expression.  

 

“But I want coffee!” 

 

“You’ll get  _ tea _ as soon as it’s ready,” Yixing promised, and herded him out of the kitchen.  He filled the kettle and set it on the burner, listening for Baekhyun to come back and whine some more.   _ It shouldn’t be so cute.  He’s so young. _

 

“Did you stay the night?” Baekhyun asked suddenly, sounding peculiar.  Worried, Yixing peered around the corner at him. 

 

“I told you last night I wasn’t going anywhere,” Yixing reminded him.  “Why?” 

 

Baekhyun’s face slowly changed colour from pale to pink as he stared at nothing, gaping like a fish.  “Thank you,” he said faintly, and looked directly at Yixing for the first time since their impromptu staring match.  Yixing felt happiness bubble up inside him as he turned back to the food, and decided he knew why Chanyeol had hired this kid.  He wore his heart right there on his face, but he kept his own secrets well enough, and something about him just made you want to smile all the time.  He plated the food he’d made and set it out on the table, then leaned out of the kitchen just in time to see Baekhyun go skidding past, practically running into his bedroom.  

 

“Are you okay?” he called after him, not really concerned.  He’d seen the bag in Baekhyun’s hand and figured the reason for his panic.  He clamped down on the laughter that threatened to bubble over, and added, “Breakfast is ready!” 

 

*

 

Later, pulling espressos at the coffee shop, Yixing suddenly realised his pendant was missing.  He clutched at his throat, wondering where he’d left it, and prayed that Baekhyun had found it somewhere in his apartment.  That pendant was the most important thing in his life, and he’d die if anything happened to it. 

 


	8. Smoke In The Backyard Lights

__Baekhyun slipped the necklace over his head and let it rest against his skin, feeling a thrill at wearing something that belonged to someone else.  He wondered where it had come from, and what kind of importance it held for Yixing. He closed his eyes and felt the weight of it tugging against his neck, and the slight pressure of the pendant against his chest, and touched it again just to feel something that had been close to Yixing’s heart.  Deciding there wasn’t much else to do, he took some daytime cold medicine and curled up on the couch, under the blankets Yixing had used. They still smelled faintly of coffee, and an unknown cologne. It was a heady scent that left him dizzy, something delicious and uniquely _ Yixing. _  He wondered what CEO Park smelled like, and then slapped himself in the face for being an idiot.  

 

Deciding it was time for lunch, Baekhyun wandered into his kitchen and realised immediately that something was different.  It took him a long moment to figure it out, and then he felt like an idiot for not realising the fruit basket had been refilled.  Then, curious, he opened his fridge and found it bursting with stock. His mouth fell open as he took in the food that had spontaneously appeared, and then remembered the food Yixing had brought him. 

 

_ Had cooked for him _ , just that morning.  He knew for a fact he hadn’t had that stuff in his house before, which could only mean that Yixing had picked up more than a few things during his trip to the store the day before.  Baekhyun flushed at the thought of Yixing taking pity on him, being a lowly college graduate who’d just been hired as a junior editor. Then he noticed the tea kettle on the stove, and the apron hanging from a hook near the window.  Curious, he checked his pantry and found it just as stuffed as the fridge. The freezer yielded the same results. 

 

_ Oh my god, _ Baekhyun thought, slapping himself in the face.   _ Oh my god. _  There didn’t seem to be anything else he could say about it, and he wondered if he should perhaps pay Yixing back for all the money he must have spent.  Opening the fridge again, he found a small carton of milk with a sticky note on it. 

 

“Baekhyun fighting,” it read, with an adorable little picture of a man holding a fist in the air.  Baekhyun smiled, and stuck the note onto the door of his fridge where he could see it. Then he noticed other notes on the rest of the items.  “Get well soon,” he murmured, reading it. “Come back to –  _ work? _ ” 

 

Baekhyun took another look at the first note, and realised it couldn’t possibly be Yixing in the picture.  Or himself, for that matter. He stared for a long moment, and finally realised it was CEO Park. He found another note, in a different type of handwriting, that also encouraged him to feel better quickly, and to eat less takeout, and his mouth dropped right open. 

 

_ CEO Park had been in his apartment. _

 

It was a momentous realisation.   _ When?  Why? _ _ Is that who Yixing called for a ride to the store?  Why did he come back? Why did he take the time to write notes for everything?   _

 

Baekhyun threw open his cabinets.  On the box of tea was CEO Park’s handwritten note, encouraging him that the tea was good for colds and that he should drink less coffee.  On a brand new tin of high brand coffee was another note, informing him that if he had to drink homebrewed coffee and not the stuff Yixing mixed at the coffee shop, then this was a superior brand.  Under the fruit in the basket was a note that ordered him to eat more meat, but encouraged his healthy snacking habits with a picture of a smiling banana. Baekhyun didn’t know how long he stood there staring at all the notes, but when he realised he was just standing in his kitchen with a ridiculous grin on his face, he pinched his cheeks and put everything back together, collecting the notes and sticking them all to the fridge.  Belatedly, he remembered that his reason for coming into the kitchen was for lunch, and he decided to just take some of the fruit – the note had nothing to do with his choice of a banana – and the milk, which he definitely chose because of the drawing. 

 

* 

 

Later that night, Baekhyun retrieved the bag from under his bed, and opened the plastic case surrounding the toy.  Feeling it in his hands was weird, and he placed the lube in his bedside drawer before inserting the batteries he’d been sold.  He took a deep breath, and debated turning it on just to see what it was like, but remembered at the last second that Lay had told him not to use it until he called again.  With a glance at the clock, he figured Lay might be at work already, and placed the toy under his pillow before racing to snatch up his cell phone. To his dismay, someone unknown picked up.  

 

“Thank you for calling  _ House of Kittens, _ ” the man said with a smooth, lilting and sexy voice that was simultaneously like and unlike Lay’s.  “This is Hero, who can I hook you up with tonight?” 

 

Baekhyun choked.  Lay had never failed to answer his calls before.  “Um, that is… I mean, Lay?” 

 

“I’m sorry, he’s not available tonight.  Can I help you instead?” 

 

“N-no thank you!” Baekhyun stammered, and hung up.  He covered his face with his hands, and then plugged his phone into the charger.   _ I guess it’s not meant to be tonight. _  He wasn’t sure if he was disappointed or not, because he wasn’t feeling 100% yet, and he  _ definitely _ wanted to back to normal before he did anything  _ like that. _ Still, it was disappointing not to hear Lay’s voice after so much time spent with the tranquil typhoon that was Yixing.  

 

He wandered into the kitchen, remembered seeing Yixing standing there at the stove with no shirt on, and swallowed around a suddenly dry mouth.  The dishes were drying in a rack resting above the sink, but Baekhyun decided against spending the energy to put them away. He also discarded the idea of cooking, and turned back to the fridge with its collection of menus and now, the horde of sticky notes he’d found.  He ordered from a Chinese restaurant that offered beautiful jjajangmyun, and settled himself back on the couch, absently toying with Yixing’s pendant while he waited for it to arrive. 

 

*

 

Sunday morning dawned dismally, and Baekhyun threw his covers back only to take one look outside at the grey, rainy day and haul them right back over his head. He was feeling groggy from the cold medicine and too much sleep, but once he was awake he couldn’t get himself back to sleep.  Finally, realising he’d neglected to take a shower the day before, Baekhyun screwed up his motivation and shifted himself out of bed with a groan. A towel that wasn’t his was in the laundry basket, he noticed finally, and under it was a pair of underwear that  _ definitely _ wasn’t his.  He didn’t think he’d had anyone over in a long time – not since he’d started interning at Shining Star at the beginning of June, at least – and so the only explanation he could conceive of was that Yixing had showered, and left his clothes behind as well as his necklace.  Wondering how awkward it would be, Baekhyun resolved to wash the unmentionable and return it to him somehow. 

 

After his shower, he felt remarkably better, but took another batch of cold medicine just to make sure he would be, as CEO Park had ordered,  _ ready to kick ass _ the next day.  Bored with staying inside, but unwilling to head out into the dreary morning weather, Baekhyun cleaned his house from top to bottom.  He cooked himself a real meal for the first time in weeks, and by mid-afternoon had completely run out of things to do. He called Lay, but was met with a recorded message informing him that all of the kittens were out playing and would return at seven pm.  Thwarted in even that, Baekhyun took a picture of the pendant and searched for it online, trying to discover where it had come from. 

 

Still mostly unsuccessful by the time he’d eaten dinner, washed the dishes, and put them away, Baekhyun sat in the living room and watched the minutes tick past on the clock.  At seven o’clock exactly, he snatched up his phone and retreated to his bedroom. 

 

Lay answered with an audible smile in his voice.  “I heard you called for me last night,” he said by way of a greeting.  

 

“I did,” Baekhyun said.   _ I’ve missed you, _ he didn’t add.  His life was complicated enough.  “I wanted to tell you I bought the – the thing you asked me to buy.” 

 

Lay’s breath hitched.  “A toy,” he said, laughing breathlessly.  “What kind did you get? Describe it to me.”  

 

Baekhyun gave generalities about how it looked, retrieving it from beneath his pillow to stare at it.  Now that it was down to it, he felt more nervous than ever. 

 

“What kind is it? A plug?”

 

“A vibrator,” Baekhyun admitted.  The noise Lay made was sinful. 

 

“And you haven’t used it yet, have you?” 

 

Baekhyun swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat.  “I haven’t even turned it on,” he said honestly. 

 

“Oh  _ fuck, _ ” Lay whispered.  “Okay. Do you want to use it tonight?” 

 

Baekhyun laughed.  “Yeah,” he said. Lay was already breathless, and Baekhyun wondered if he was acting, or if he really was as turned on as he seemed.  “What do I do with it?” 

 

He’d asked almost the same thing of his very first lover, and flushed to remember it.  Lay took a shuddery breath, and let it out slowly. 

 

“Turn it on to the lowest setting,” Lay said.  Baekhyun clicked it on, and felt it buzz to life in his hands.  “How high does it go?” Lay asked, and Baekhyun rolled the adjuster wheel slowly, feeling it increase with every rotation.  He couldn’t imagine putting this inside him, or what it would feel like, especially after such a long dry spell. He held it near the microphone so Lay could hear it increase, and his eyes widened as he finally reached the strongest setting.  It was making his hand numb, and nearly shook itself out of his grasp. “Wow,” Lay whispered. “Okay, turn it back down to the lowest. First, just put it into your mouth.” 

 

Feeling like a complete tit, Baekhyun did as he was told.  It was soft, but not spongy, and nothing like sucking a real dick.  The vibrations shook his brain around, and butterflies sprang to life in his stomach.  Then it began to feel oddly good as he licked around it noisily, wondering if he should pretend it was Lay or someone else.  His mind supplied CEO Park, and he rejected it instantly. He already liked his boss a little  _ too  _ much, this wasn’t the time to add sexual fantasies to the list, not when he had someone like  _ Yixing _ already taking up so much space in his brain.  Instantly, he recalled the sight of Yixing, shirtless in his kitchen, cooking as though he lived there.  

 

“It’s kinda weird,” he said after a moment.  “But I like how it feels.” 

 

“It’ll feel better soon,” Lay promised huskily.  “Fuck _ damn _ I want to watch you blow that thing,” he added.  

 

Baekhyun laughed.  “You can tell?” 

 

“I can  _ hear you, _ ” Lay whined.  “But I can’t see, and I think this might be the end of me.”  He inhaled sharply, and then continued. “Let it trail slowly down your throat to your chest,” he said.  Baekhyun did as he was told, and then surreptitiously slid it sideways. 

 

“It kinda tickles,” he admitted, and then the vibrating head brushed his nipple and he cried out involuntarily.  “Oh my god,” he moaned. 

 

“What did you do?” 

 

“Nipple,” Baekhyun admitted.  “I told you they were sensitive.”  Breathing hard, he slipped it to the other side and this time, expecting the sensation, kept a lid on himself.  Lay let out a sound that was halfway between a moan and a squeak. 

 

“Okay, um,” he said, sounding flustered for the first time since Baekhyun had started calling.  “Get naked, if you aren’t already.” 

 

“Hang on,” Baekhyun promised, and dropped the phone and toy to the mattress while he shimmied out of his clothes.  “Okay, now what should I do?” 

 

“Give me a moment to stop picturing you naked,” Lay said, laughing lightly.  “Do you have any other surprises under those clothes besides your piercings?” 

 

Baekhyun looked down at himself.  “A lot of tattoos,” he said. Lay whined again low in his throat.  

 

“Keep slowly dragging the toy down your chest and stomach,” Lay demanded.  “And tell me what your tattoos are.” 

 

Baekhyun picked it back up and did as he was told, stomach jumping as the vibrations tickled him.  “I have one on my neck that says ‘Love as thou wilt.’ A tribal tattoo of wings across my shoulders that come around my arms, a lotus blossom on my hip, and a dragon on my upper thigh.  It’s at my belly button,” he admitted, and heard his own breathing get faster as he inched closer to his hips. 

 

“Oh my god,” Lay said again, reverently.  “O-okay, so, are you hard?” 

 

“Getting there,” Baekhyun admitted.  “I haven’t been this nervous since I lost my virginity,” he added with a self-deprecating laugh.  

 

“I don’t think it’ll hurt you,” Lay reassured him.  “Start at the tip and just lightly touch yourself with the end of the vibrator.”  

 

Baekhyun took a deep breath, and complied.  Instantly, pleasure rushed through him and he came to full hardness.   He shouted wordlessly and dropped both his phone and the toy as his back arched and his toes curled.  

 

“Are you okay?” Lay was asking when he retrieved the phone.  

 

“That was unexpected,” Baekhyun said, and sat up to grip the toy again at a better angle.  He whined as it touched him again, and suddenly all he could think about was getting it inside his body  _ now _ , if not sooner. 

 

“Uhn,” Lay agreed.  He was panting as Baekhyun continued experimenting, keeping a running dialogue of how he felt and what he was doing.  After a few minutes, Lay instructed him to touch it to his perineum, and Baekhyun felt more than heard the moan tear its way out of his own throat.  He set the phone to speaker and laid it down so he could reach the lube. 

 

“Tu-turn it up to the next setting,” Lay said.  Baekhyun laughed breathlessly. 

 

“Are you jerking off?” 

 

“Uh-huh,” Lay agreed.  “God fuck, dammit, you sound so hot.”  

 

“Maybe you should get a toy for the next time I call,” Baekhyun said, drizzling lube onto the tip before smearing it around his entrance with one finger.  “All lubed up and ready to go.” The pleasure had dimmed while he was preparing, and the nervousness was now back. 

 

Lay laughed on the other side.  “That’d be quite a show here,” he said.  “But if you’d like, I can give you my personal number and I’ll call you when I get home?” 

 

Baekhyun dropped the lube and the toy, stunned into silence for a long moment.  “I’d like that,” he said quietly.

 

“It’s a deal,” Lay said.  Baekhyun’s phone buzzed with a new message.  Leaving the toy where it was, he wiped his hands and checked it.   _ Hey, sexy. _

 

“Is that you?” 

 

“Yep.  So, I think we were in the middle of something kinda important?” 

 

Baekhyun laughed, and picked the toy up again.  “I’m not going to lie, I’m kinda scared about this.” 

 

“Just start slowly.  You’re not a virgin, right?  So it’s just like having sex, except there’s only you.  For now,” he added, with a dark thrill. 

 

“Okay,” Baekhyun agreed.  He bit his lip when it touched him, and he lost all track of the phone as it slid inside him.  “Oh,” he breathed. “Omigod, this feels so good!” 

 

“Tilt it down, so that the head is pointing towards your stomach,” Lay panted.  

 

“I know where my prostate is!” Baekhyun snapped.  Lay laughed.

 

“Some guys don’t.” 

 

If he kept talking, Baekhyun didn’t hear it over the sound of the blood pulsing through his ears as his heart leapt into overdrive and his dick throbbed.  It had been so long since he’d had sex, and he’d never even  _ imagined _ that a vibrator could feel like this.  He could feel it tingling all the way to his toes.  Baekhyun arched his back, and then withdrew the toy before pushing it in hard.  The angle was awkward, but the result was pleasure like he’d never felt before. 

 

“I think I’m going to come in like five seconds,” Baekhyun gasped.  

 

“Good, me too,” Lay admitted, and Baekhyun heard his breath hitch once, twice and then with a quiet moan he finally started breathing more deeply.  

 

“You’re so quiet when you come,” Baekhyun teased, withdrawing the toy again; slowly, so he could savour it, and then slamming it home.  He only managed it twice more before he jerked and his orgasm crashed through him. He was embarrassed by the noise he made, especially after hearing Lay being so quiet, but then he didn’t care because it  _ felt so damn good. _

 

“You’re so hot,” Lay said in a rush of breath.  “I want to lick your tattoos and see if they taste any different from the rest of you,” he added slyly.  Baekhyun shivered and withdrew the toy with a lewd  _ pop. _

 

“I can’t believe I went all these years without knowing what a vibrator felt like,” he laughed.  

 

“Maybe one day I’ll get to use it on you, hmm?” Lay asked.  Baekhyun’s breath caught. 

 

“I’d like that.”  

 

After a few moments, Baekhyun got up to clean himself off.  

 

“So,” Lay began as he was wiping the mess off his stomach.  “I haven’t heard anything from you in a while. Everything going okay with your boss?” 

 

Baekhyun couldn’t help but laugh again.  “I suppose so. Well, maybe not,” he amended, thinking of Yixing.  

 

“Oh?” 

 

“The boss has an extremely good looking best friend,” Baekhyun admitted.  “And I was sick over the weekend, and he came to my house and cooked for me.  He… stayed with me. No one’s ever stayed for me before. It was nice. But it complicates things even more than just having an unrequited crush on my boss.” 

 

“It certainly sounds like he’s a nice guy.  Maybe more attainable than your boss?” Lay ventured cautiously.  There was something a little off in his tone, but Baekhyun was still too high on endorphins to care.  

 

“Probably about as attainable as you,” Baekhyun said freely, wiping himself down.  The only problem with lube, he told himself, is that it got  _ everywhere. _ He was going to have to do laundry soon, too.  “At least I think he likes me too. He certainly stared hard enough a couple of times.” 

 

“Does that bother you?” 

 

“Hell no,” Baekhyun scoffed.  “I’m pretty.” 

 

Lay laughed.  “I’m sure you’re a lot more than just  _ pretty.”  _


	9. Fade Away Into The Sky Under The Sea

 

Baekhyun fell asleep with a smile on his face after hanging up with Lay.  He had his number saved, and could now call, if he wanted to. Halfway into a steamy dream about being tangled up between CEO Park and Yixing, his phone rang, drawing him out of slumber.  

 

“Hello,” he mumbled.  

 

“Mm, hi,” Lay whispered.  “Did I wake you?” 

 

Baekhyun’s eyes flew open.  “Yeah, but it’s okay. What’s up?” 

 

“I believe I promised to call you when I got out of work,” Lay said, and his voice curled around Baekhyun’s brain like a blanket.  There was a nagging sense of familiarity again, and, still half asleep, Baekhyun blurted out,

 

“Do I know you?” 

 

Lay sighed.  “Well… yes. Although I was kinda hoping to keep it a secret a little longer.”  

 

Ice dropped into Baekhyun’s stomach.   _ Please don’t let it be CEO Park! _

 

“It’s Yixing,” he revealed, and Baekhyun dropped the phone. It fell to the floor with a muffled  _ thump. _  “Hello?  Baekhyunnie?  Are you okay?” 

 

Baekhyun sat up and stared into the darkness between his wall and bed.  “Ah,” he agreed, but made no move to retrieve his phone. Just earlier, he’d been confiding in Yixing about his possible feelings for  _ Yixing _ .  Lay had come over and cooked for him, left his things in Baekhyun’s apartment.  Stayed the night, just because Baekhyun asked him to.  _ I suppose… _ his thoughts stuttered over themselves.   _ I suppose it’s okay. _  He picked up his phone again and flopped down into bed, rearranging his blankets so they were pulled up to his chin.

 

“Are you angry with me for keeping it a secret?” Yixing asked, and now that he  _ knew, _ Baekhyun couldn’t believe he hadn’t put it together sooner. 

 

“No,” Baekhyun replied.  “I’m – a little mad at myself that I didn’t realise,” he said, and laughed to cover his embarrassment.  “Um, how – I mean, did you know it was me?” 

 

“I recognised your voice on the bus the other day, when you told me my phone was ringing.” 

 

So, right from the very start.  Baekhyun added up the times Yixing’s voice had reminded him of someone, and came to the conclusion that he was an absolute idiot.  He groaned and rolled over to push his face into the pillow. 

 

Yixing laughed, too, the old laugh that rumbled through his chest and sent tingles up Baekhyun’s spine.  “It’s okay,” he said. “It’s not like you were expecting me. Ahh,” he continued. “I’m so glad you know now.  This makes things so much easier.” 

 

“Bwa?” 

 

“I noticed you sound a  _ lot _ better earlier, and wanted to ask how you were feeling,” Yixing confided.  “And now I can.” He sounded so triumphantly happy that Baekhyun couldn’t be irritated.  “So Baekhie, are you over your cold now?” 

 

Baekhyun smiled into his pillow and shifted so he could talk.  “Thanks to you,” he said. “And your insane shopping habits. You didn’t have to spend that much money on me, I’ll repay you for it.”

 

Yixing scoffed.  “No, no, it was a gift.  You’ll hurt my feelings if you try to pay me back.” 

 

“I don’t even need a kettle,” Baekhyun argued.  

 

“Yes you do.  Tea is wonderful.” 

 

“Coffee is my life’s blood,” Baekhyun countered.  “I never would have gotten through school without it.”  One hand came up to his throat, stroking the words inked onto his skin as he remembered Yixing touching him there, and Lay’s promise to  _ taste his tattoos. _  Baekhyun flushed, remembering that Yixing was Lay, and Yixing was CEO Park’s best friend, and  _ Yixing knew about his crush on CEO Park. _  Who had been in Baekhyun’s apartment the other day. 

 

“That’s because you’re a heathen.  Tea is more elegant, and would have done the caffeination job just as well,” Yixing pointed out, unaware of Baekhyun’s inner turmoil.

 

Baekhyun sighed.  “But if I switch to tea, I’ll never be able to drink that divine coffee you make for me,” he replied.  He had a sudden flash back to the identical expressions CEO Park and Yixing had worn the first time he’d tasted it, both of them looking like they wanted to jump him and do filthy things with his naked body.  

 

“You make a good point,” Yixing agreed, sounding grumpy.  “Well, keep the kettle for me, then.” 

 

Baekhyun blinked.  “Pardon?” 

 

“Unless you never want me to come over again…?” Yixing asked, letting it dangle.  

 

“No, I mean, of course I do, I will, I’m – God, I feel like an idiot.”  

 

Yixing laughed warmly.  “So, the reason I called you wasn’t to tell you who I am, or argue about drinks, you know.” 

 

Baekhyun stiffened, then let his thoughts flicker back over their earlier conversation. He couldn’t think of what they’d been talking about that would have prompted Yixing to call him back.  “So why did you?” 

 

“Because you wanted to hear me use a vibrator on myself, didn’t you?” Yixing was so matter-of-fact about it that the words took a moment to fully sink in.  When it did, Baekhyun’s heart kicked up into overdrive and his dick began to swell. He let out a helpless whine as he tried to imagine  _ Yixing _ , graceful, lithe,  _ beautiful  _ Yixing with his legs spread wide while he languidly fucked himself on a toy and he exhaled on a breathy moan. 

 

“Oh god yes,” he whispered, unable to find his voice.  

 

“Fuck,” Yixing said.  “How do you do this to me?”

 

“Do what?” Baekhyun asked, already slipping one hand down to his waistband.  He could get himself off for a year just on the power of that question. 

 

“You turn me on like no one I’ve ever met,” Yixing replied.  Baekhyun could hear something rustling in the background of the phone, and then something clicked, and a semi-familiar  _ buzz _ came across the phone.  Yixing chuckled breathlessly, and then shifted around some more.  “It’s a little strange to be on this end of things,” he admitted. “Usually I’m listening to other people doing this.” 

 

“Does it affect you?” Baekhyun wondered, stroking himself slowly.  

 

“No one’s ever affected me like you do,” Yixing said, his breath hitching.  “You don’t think I give out my phone number to just anyone, do you?” 

 

“But you already knew who I was,” Baekhyun pouted.  “What are you doing now?” 

 

“Mm, this is weird.  I’m on my knees, in the middle of my bed,” Yixing said.  “I’m leaning forward, on my elbow because I’m holding the phone up to my ear.  My other hand is behind me, because I’m about to fuck myself on this thing and pretend it’s you.” He laughed again, Baekhyun’s favourite laugh, the one that sounded like he was just so happy it bubbled out of him without concern or permission.  “What about you?” 

 

“Me?” Baekhyun was so lost in the fantasy of imagining what Yixing looked like, splayed out and preparing himself, that for a moment he couldn’t find the words.  “I’m just in bed on my back, jerking off.” 

 

“Really?” Yixing sounded disappointed.  “I couldn’t even tell.” He whined slowly, and Baekhyun’s brain lit up with images of him gently pushing the toy into his body.  “Why don’t you get your vibrator?” Yixing asked slyly. “You know it feels really good. Maybe you could – ung, try turning it up a little further.  If the low settings made you come in five minutes, its – it’s probably going to take about thirty seconds on full power, mmh.” 

 

Baekhyun moaned in response.  “You’re fucking it now, aren’t you?”  Despite the odd little noise interrupting his words, Yixing was so  _ quiet _ .  Baekhyun listened in silence for a moment, and quickly figured out the rhythm Yixing was using based on the sound of his breaths.  

 

“Mmhmm,” Yixing said.  “Is it bad that I still want it to be you?” 

 

“Not at all,” Baekhyun said, and picked up his own recent acquisition.  “You know, I’ve never had phone sex before I started calling you.” He considered getting into the same position as Yixing, but decided he’d rather stay like he was.  Pushing the toy inside himself without even turning it on, he laughed breathlessly. “I feel like a pervert, fucking myself on this thing while I’m talking to you and listening to you fuck yourself.” 

 

“What happened to my noisy Baekhyunnie?” Yixing asked, a pout audible in his breathless voice.  

 

“It’s not on,” Baekhyun said, and steeled himself with a deep breath before turning it up as high as it would go.  His hips came up off the bed and he couldn’t help the noise that slipped out of him. “Unngh fuck that feels so good!” he practically yelled.  

 

“There you are,” Yixing laughed. 

 

Baekhyun ignored him in favour of sitting up so that the toy rested flush against his body, buzzing for all it was worth, and wrapped his free hand around his straining erection.  It took him only two quick jerks of his hand before he was coming all over himself again, and then he leaned back, turning the toy down but not taking it out. Yixing was breathing hard, every exhale accompanied by a little  _ huff _ of air.  

 

“Are you always this fast?” he teased breathily.  

 

“No,” Baekhyun said, sticking his tongue out despite the fact that Yixing couldn’t see him. 

 

“Ah, to be young again,” Yixing mused, but his voice caught on the last word, and as before, his orgasm was a quiet thing, a series of quicker pants before a quiet hum.  “So now that the cats out of the bag,” Yixing said after a moment. “Does this mean I can come back over and show you what else you can do with a vibrator?” 

 

Baekhyun squeaked, and then moaned as the toy jostled him.  

 

“Are you  _ still _ –”

 

“I left it in,” Baekhyun said.  “This feels so fucking good,” he continued.  “And you’re free to come over whenever you want.”  He glanced at the clock, and then paled. “But I should probably hang up now, since I’ve got to work in the morning.”  

 

“Sweet dreams,” Yixing purred.

 

“You already interrupted one of those,” Baekhyun teased, and hung up before Yixing could respond.  Moments later, his phone buzzed with a text. Baekhyun hooked one finger around the loop at the end of his toy and idly moved it around, pleasure building again.  

 

_ Not fair! _ Yixing had written.   _ Tell me? _

 

_ I don’t think it’s a good idea, _ Baekhyun wrote back.  

 

_ I won’t judge you.   _

 

_ Maybe later, _ Baekhyun promised, and set his phone down.  He jerked the toy faster, used his other hand to stroke himself, and was coming again for the third time that night within just a few minutes.  He rolled out of bed and cleaned himself up, and checked his text one last time. 

 

_ You’re so mean.  I hope you dream about me all night and wake up so hard you’re dripping, and nothing helps except me coming over and sucking you dry. _

 

Baekhyun flushed.   _ Fuck _ , Yixing knew exactly which buttons to press.  He replied to the text with his mind half on the fantasy.   _ I was dreaming about being between you and CEO Park, are you happy?  And I don’t think I’m going to come again for a week, you already got me off three times tonight. _ _ Seriously I have to work tomorrow, goodnight.  _ He considered for a long moment, and then added,  _ <3 _ and sent it before he could rethink it again.  Ignoring his phone when it buzzed again, he quickly fell asleep.  

 

*

 

Baekhyun nearly slept through his alarm.  The morning was going to be a difficult one, and he still had to contend with everything new the weekend had brought him.  He checked his phone by habit, and found Yixing’s last text. 

 

_ I’d totally be up for a threesome, why don’t we ask him? Goodnight sweetheart. <3 sweet dreams. _

 

Baekhyun flushed to the roots of his hair, and couldn’t think of a way to respond.  His phone buzzed in his hand, startling him.

 

_ Good morning sexy, _ Yixing wrote.   _ Have a good day at work! _

 

Baekhyun swallowed.   _ You too  _ he replied, hoping that maybe he could sweep the whole  _ threesome _ comment under the rug.  

 

A new text came in with just a face:  _ 8D _ .  Baekhyun laughed at him, and finished preparing for work.  To his disappointment, Yixing wasn’t at the bus stop when he got there, and he sighed, deciding he’d rather put off how to act around the man until later.  When he arrived at work, the first thing he did was stop in at the coffee shop across the street from the company building, but Yixing was nowhere to be found.  He ordered coffee from the cute barista anyway, and decided he was better off not seeing the man for a while. At least not until he had his feelings under control.  

 

Kyungsoo was seated at his usual spot, laying cards down on his desk.  He looked up when Baekhyun entered, and waved. 

 

“Welcome to work,” he intoned.  “CEO Park has been on a rampage all morning because  _ Rising Sun _ got a better review in  _ Boys Weekly,  _ so beware.” 

 

Baekhyun wiped his feet fastidiously, and nodded to accept Kyungsoo’s warning.  Inside the office, things were chaotic. Sehun was rushing back and forth with stacks of paper, trying to get everything delivered to everyone, and other people were loitering between the cubicles, generally taking up space and gossiping.  

 

The elevator at the far end of the room dinged open, and revealed a thunderous CEO Park.  “Byun! My office, now!”

 

Baekhyun stopped by his cubicle to drop his coffee off, and hurried to find out what his spastic boss needed.  When he arrived, the chaos seemed to have leaked up from lower floors and exploded all over CEO Park’s office. The boss himself was pacing back and forth, shouting into his cell phone.  Baekhyun meekly held back until he hung up and threw the phone across the room with an explosive, “ _ Fuck!” _

 

“CEO Park?” Baekhyun ventured, wondering if he was going to get his head bitten off.  

 

“Baekhyun.  Can you write?”

 

Baekhyun took a step back, and bumped into someone behind him.  Turning, he caught a glimpse of blue-black hair, and realised Yixing was standing just a few inches from him.  “I believe so,” Baekhyun ventured, wondering where it was going. 

“Three of our writers and two editors walked over the weekend,” CEO Park explained, furious.  “Someone bought out their contracts and convinced them to leave.” 

 

“The answer is obvious,” Yixing ventured.  CEO Park sprang at him and hugged him, much to Yixing’s bemusement and Baekhyun’s private amusement. 

 

“Thank god you’re here,” CEO Park said.  “I need you two to fill in some of the articles for me.  I have fifteen prompts and no one who can write them. Now, what’s this about obvious?”  He paused and retreated, before returning to his pacing. “You don’t think…”

 

“No one else has the means, opportunity, or motive,” Yixing ventured.  Baekhyun looked between them like he was watching a ping-pong match, utterly lost.  

 

“Fuck,” CEO Park said again.  He shot across the room and picked up two scattered stacks of papers.  “Fuck.  _ Fuck him! _  Here,” he said, in a completely different tone, and passed the papers to each of them.  “Do whatever you can, and I’ll get something to fill in the rest later.”

 

Baekhyun glanced through it and saw that they were prompts and ideas for articles and stories.  Yixing’s stack was similar. 

 

“Why so much?” Yixing ventured, not looking at Baekhyun.   Baekhyun swallowed around the lump in his throat and tried not to think about their late-night conversation.  

 

“They took half their material with them when they left,” CEO Park growled.  “Copyright says it’s not ours until it goes to print, so they didn’t even break any laws.   _ Fuck! _ ”  He kicked the trashbin and sent it sailing across the room before dropping into his chair, holding his head in his hands. “Sorry, Byun,” he said.  “Please do your best.” 

 

“N-no,” Baekhyun stammered.  “It’s alright. I’ll work hard.”  He bowed, and backed out of the room towards the elevator.  Unflappable Yixing settled himself calmly in one of the chairs on the other side of CEO Park’s desk.  

 

As he fled the room, Baekhyun heard him say, “Why do you think Kris waited until now to do this?” 

 

“He knows that the interns just got hired,” CEO Park growled.  “And it’s got to be that kid Tao making him feel cocky.” 

 

The elevator doors slid shut on the conversation.  Baekhyun retreated to his desk, and flipped through the prompts again before pulling up a blank word document.  As he worked, he carefully ticked off each prompt as it was completed. Gradually, the noise around him faded away as he lost himself in writing.  He’d become an editor because his Creative Writing teacher had told him that was his strength, and that while his writing would never be more than mediocre, his editing skills were above average.  He was quick, and deft, and had a way of dealing with delivering criticism that deflected anger and encouraged improvement, she’d said. 

 

But all that focus on editing had leached the joy out of writing, something he rediscovered now as he went through worlds of characters and plots and short stories, romances, horror, mystery.  The act of creation transported him, until a hand on his shoulder startled him into nearly flopping out of his chair. 

 

“You’re crazy,” CEO Park said.  Yixing hovered behind him. “Everyone else has gone home.  I didn’t mean for you to write everything today,” he said, testing a tentative smile.  

 

Baekhyun surfaced from his creative black hole and realised that the lights had dimmed around him, and there was no one but the three of them left in the building.  “O-oh,” he said, embarrassed. “I know, I wasn’t trying to. I just haven’t written anything in years, and I got caught up in it,” he excused himself. His stomach grumbled loudly, reminding him that he’d worked straight through his lunch breaks.  

 

“Let’s go get something to eat,” Yixing suggested brightly, looking more animated than Baekhyun had ever seen him.  

 

“Email those to me first,” CEO Park suggested, pointing at the things Baekhyun had been working on.

 

Yixing seized him by the elbow and tugged him away.  “Don’t listen to him, Baekhyunnie,” he countermanded.  “You’re going to come out with me and have a couple of drinks, and something to eat, and you’re not going to think of work for a couple of hours.  Baekhie, back me up.” 

 

“W-what?” 

 

“He’s been stressing out all day because of Kris, so we need to distract him,” Yixing said, with a sparkle in his eyes.  Baekhyun paled as Yixing winked, and wondered if he was actually going to ask CEO Park to – to… he couldn’t even finish the thought, not even in the silence of his own head.  Reading his thoughts, Yixing laughed lightly and shook his head. 

 

“Not yet,” he whispered.  Baekhyun took a deep breath and turned an earnest look on Chanyeol.  

 

“You’ve been working hard, CEO Park,” he said in his most ‘eager young adjutant’ voice.  “You deserve a chance to relax.” 

 

CEO Park’s lips twitched, and then his face relaxed into a smile and some of the tension leaked out of him.  “You’re right,” he admitted. “Let’s go out and get something to eat.” 

 

Yixing picked at his clothes.  “I want a shower, first,” he said, wrinkling his nose.  “Baekhyunnie, you and I can go home first and then Channie-yeol can pick us up when he’s done, okay?” Yixing curled his fingers around Baekhyun’s wrist and tugged him towards the bus station.  Once CEO Park was out of earshot, he grinned. “You want to look good for him, don’t you? Show off more than just your professional side, right?” 

 

Baekhyun squawked.  “But he’s my  _ boss, _ ” he objected. 

 

“All the more reason to show him what he’s missing out on,” Yixing shrugged.  The bus appeared down the street, rumbling towards them. “Besides, I want to see you all dressed down, too.  You can’t deny both of us.” 

 

Baekhyun crossed his arms over his chest and scowled.  “If you say so.” Inwardly, he was thrilled; he would be talking with CEO Park  _ and _ Yixing in a social context!  Now he would be able to figure out which one he liked more. 

 

Maybe. 

 

He hoped.   

 


	10. Do That Dance In The Dark

Yixing disappeared once the bus dropped them off, and Baekhyun went to his own apartment alone.  Picking curiously through his closet, he tried to find something appropriate to be seen by his boss, and yet casual enough that Yixing wouldn’t do something mad, like haul him off to the store to go shopping.  He showered quickly, just enough to get the gel and makeup off, and freshen up a bit, and then returned to scouring his clothes. He finally settled on a black button up and his favourite pair of black jeans, the ones that hugged his thighs like they’d been painted on.  Leaving it untucked, and the top few buttons open, Baekhyun dried his hair quickly and let it fall naturally before eyeing his makeup. 

 

Yixing had specified that he wanted to see Baekhyun  _ dressed down _ , but he’d also pointedly asked about the makeup in the bathroom, too.  Baekhyun was applying eyeliner when someone knocked on his front door. 

 

Before he could answer it, he heard it open and Yixing entered, singing.  When he turned the corner and saw Baekhyun, he stopped dead and stared. 

 

“What’s wrong?” 

 

Baekhyun took the time to check him out in return, taking in his collared, long-sleeved teeshirt and baggy jeans.  It was a good look on him. 

 

“You look like a teenager,” Yixing said, advancing slowly and circling him to check him out from behind.  

 

Baekhyun laughed rather than take offense.  “Better a teenager than a twelve-year old,” he said, despite the fact that Yixing actually looked mature and pretty damn sexy for once.  Yixing shrugged gracefully, conceding the battle without a fight. 

 

“Finish your makeup and let’s go,” Yixing said.  “Channie-yeol’s on his way to get us.” 

 

Baekhyun nodded, hyper-aware of Yixing’s undivided attention as he applied the liner.  “Why are you staring so much?” he asked finally, unable to bear the scrutiny any longer. 

 

“I’ve never seen a man wearing eyeliner before,” Yixing said, curiously.  “It’s a good look on you.” 

 

Baekhyun accepted the compliment with a mumbled  _ Thank you, _ and then checked himself once more in the mirror.  He felt more than a little weird to be going out with his phone-sex boyfriend and his boss, but he’d allowed himself to be roped into it, and he  _ had _ worked hard that day.  Still, he expected it to be awkward.  

 

When CEO Park knocked on his door – reminding Baekhyun painfully that the man had already been inside his apartment once – Yixing answered it like he owned the place.  Baekhyun was drawn up short by the sight of them both standing together. Yixing was lanky, and CEO Park was broad and they were both so  _ tall. _  And attractive.  Baekhyun swallowed around a lump of nervousness as he remembered they were both going out with him tonight.  He wondered if he should to try to treat it like a date – an awkward double date, or maybe –  _ No, not a threesome, _ he argued hastily with Yixing’s remembered voice in the back of his head –  _ Just friends, _ Baekhyun decided firmly, and smiled at them.  

 

“Welcome to my house,” he said formally, bowing.  CEO Park grabbed ahold of Yixing, even though he showed no signs of bowing back.  Baekhyun wondered if it meant that phase was over, and then wondered if he’d miss it or not.  

 

“There’s no need to be so formal, Baekhyun,” CEO Park admonished.  “Let’s get going, I’m starving.” 

 

The ride to the restaurant was unremarkable.  Baekhyun spent the entire trip in a state of nervous agitation, not sure how to handle his conflicting emotions for CEO Park and Yixing, or what would be expected of him during the meal.  Would Yixing out him? Would CEO Park do something… CEO Parkish? Baekhyun stared out the window and twisted his fingers together in his lap, letting the pleasant voices of Yixing and CEO Park wash over him as they talked light-heartedly of matters at Shining Star.  

 

His mind was far away, already going over some of the remaining prompts CEO Park had given him, by the time they arrived.  When Yixing opened his door, Baekhyun was startled to suddenly find him so close. Yixing smiled slowly, and offered his hand to help Baekhyun out of the truck.  Baekhyun glanced over his shoulder, and saw CEO Park standing by the restaurant, waiting patiently with a slight arch to his eyebrows. Baekhyun swallowed, wondering what he was thinking.  CEO Park and Yixing were best friends, after all, and it was only reasonable that Yixing would have told him – things. Wasn’t it? 

 

His agitation came flooding back, and he was suddenly unsure of how to behave. CEO Park laughed heartily, ruffling his hair.  

 

“You look good like this, Byun,” he said.  “But you need to relax. I’m not going to  _ bite _ you.”  

 

“Not unless you want him to,” Yixing suggested coyly, at Baekhyun’s ear.  Baekhyun laughed weakly as they entered together and were seated. The waitress lead them to a booth in the shape of a semi-circle.   CEO Park settled onto the outside, and Yixing urged Baekhyun to slide in first, leaving himself the opposite edge.

 

“You need to drink,” Yixing announced to both of them.  “You’ve been working too hard,” he said, staring specifically at Baekhyun before switching his focused gaze to CEO Park.  “And you’re too stressed out. This is supposed to be a fun, relaxing evening, and how better to accomplish that than by alcohol?”

 

Baekhyun tried to shake his head.  “I don’t really drink much,” he said, but he didn’t want to offend either of them by not drinking.  “I mean, just one, I’ll be okay.” 

 

The waitress brought their drinks quickly, and they ordered food.  

 

“CEO Park,” Baekhyun began while they were waiting.  CEO Park leveled a narrow glare at him. 

 

“Do you know my name?” 

 

_ CHannie-yeol _ , Baekhyun’s brain whispered.  The alcohol was making him feel warm.  “Ch-Chanyeol,” he murmured. 

 

“Good.  Use it.”  CEO Park slapped him on the shoulder, and then sat back with an invested expression on his face.  

 

Baekhyun flushed to be the focus of his attention.  “Oh, I was – I mean, I hope you’ll feel like my work isn’t too lacking.  I haven’t really written anything in a long time.” 

 

“Why not?” Yixing asked, scooting closer and leaning in.  Baekhyun suddenly wished they’d been given a different table, or that Yixing had allowed him to sit on the outside – anything that would have resulted in Baekhyun  _ not _ being trapped between the two of them.

 

“Yes, why?  You clearly understand how to write, or you wouldn’t have been accepted as an editor,” CEO Park added, also leaning in.  Baekhyun swallowed as the massive table shrank. 

 

“O-oh,” Baekhyun repeated, and took a swallow of his drink to dampen his suddenly dry mouth.  “One of my teachers told me that my strengths weren’t in writing.” 

 

“But you seemed like you were really enjoying yourself,” Yixing pointed out.  “You didn’t even notice when the lights went out.” 

 

Baekhyun blushed harder.  The alcohol was burning pleasantly in his stomach, and the lights sparkled in the dim bar.  “I really love writing,” Baekhyun confided. 

 

“Well, I’ll be able to tell you whether or not you succeeded tomorrow, since Yixing stopped me from checking it out tonight,” CEO Park said, matter-of-factly.  “Now, that’s enough of work. Have you recovered from being sick?” 

 

Baekhyun opened his mouth to answer, but CEO Park’s face changed suddenly, his mouth dropping open as he leaned forward to stare at something on Baekhyun’s face.  His eyes switched between Yixing and Baekhyun for several seconds, before he leaned back with a small smile. To Baekhyun’s eyes, it seemed a little wistful. Baekhyun swallowed nervously, wondering what was going on, but then remembered he’d been about to talk.  “I’m fully recovered, thank you,” he said stiltedly. “I appreciate the notes you left,” he added. 

 

CEO Park grinned unexpectedly, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.  “I thought that might help,” he said. Out of the corner of his eyes, Baekhyun saw Yixing eyeing CEO Park with a suspicious look.  Before he could gather his wits and ask, the waitress arrived bearing their food, and refills for their drinks. 

 

Baekhyun leaned back and ate quietly, washing it down with soju, while CEO Park and Yixing carried on their light conversation from the car.  By the time he was done eating, the restaurant was swimming in his vision, and he remembered why he didn’t drink any more as he listed to the left.  Yixing was suddenly closer, propping him up, and Baekhyun forgot to be embarrassed as he unabashedly leaned against him, closing his eyes to keep the lights from blinding him. 

 

“Seems like he’s a bit of a lightweight,” CEO Park observed.

 

“Well, he did try to tell us,” Yixing allowed, and Baekhyun felt fingers in his hair. 

 

CEO Park coughed.  “Well, I suppose the two of you should be happy together,” he said, and Baekhyun was caught again by the wistfulness of his tone.  

 

“What, you’re giving up?” 

 

There was a rustle of cloth as CEO Park moved, but Baekhyun didn’t bother to open his eyes and find out what he was doing.  “It’s obvious he likes you more,” CEO Park announced. Baekhyun swallowed, wondering what made him think that.

 

“You haven’t heard him, though,” Yixing countered.  

 

“Ah, right, he’s one of your callers.  I’ve never been jealous of that particular job before.”  

 

Yixing laughed low in his chest.  “You mean you actually were for once?  I thought you said it was a disgusting job that no one in their right mind would do.” 

 

“Would you consider Jaejoong to be  _ in his right mind? _ ” 

 

“Jaejoongie is a special case,” Yixing said.  “I do it because it’s interesting. You learn a lot about people, when you listen to their most intimate moments.” 

 

CEO Park’s voice was sharp.  “Like my employees,” he pointed out. 

 

“I didn’t know he was your new hire when he called.  I was actually concerned that he wasn’t old enough to be calling a sex line at first.” 

 

Baekhyun bristled silently.  Everyone always thought he was younger than he was.  Five years didn’t make  _ that _ much of a difference, anyway.  

 

“Anyway, we did more talking about you than we did anything else,” Yixing revealed, and Baekhyun was mortified.  They actually  _ were _ discussing his phoning habits, right here at the table, right above his head!  “He likes you a lot, but you baffle him.” 

 

“Nearly as much as you do, I imagine,” CEO Park said, warm amusement finally colouring his tone.  “Anyway, I know your reputation,” CEO Park continued. “If I’m that interested, I’ll just wait a week or two for you to be tired of him, and then see if he’s still interested in me after being jilted by you.” 

 

Baekhyun controlled his face with the utmost effort.  They believed he was sleeping or passed out, obviously, and he was appalled that CEO Park was so casually dismissing Yixing’s interest.  To his horror, Yixing shrugged. 

 

“It’s not my fault most people are boring.  I just get bored. It’s not like I don’t like them.”  

 

“Did you tell him he can only expect to hold your interest for a short time?” 

 

Yixing repeated the gesture.  “He knows I don’t do anything I don’t want to do,” he said.  Baekhyun was hastily rethinking his life choices, hampered more than a little by the burn of the alcohol in his stomach.  “But,” Yixing continued in a different tone. “I think he’s interesting.” 

 

“For now,” CEO Park scoffed.  “If you break his heart, I’ll break your face,” he added.  

 

Baekhyun’s crush on his boss swelled.  CEO Park was the embodiment of all that was good in the world.  

 

Yixing laughed.  “Come on, let’s get him home,” he said.  

 

“Your home or his?” CEO Park asked, and Baekhyun could  _ hear _ the arched eyebrow in his voice.  

 

“Wherever.”  Yixing smoothly extricated himself from the booth, and Baekhyun groggily followed after him.  Opening his eyes and pretending like he’d slept through the last ten minutes of their shocking conversation was harder than he thought possible.  CEO Park thought Yixing would tire of him in a week, and was willing to make a move on him as soon as Yixing was done. Yixing would possibly only be interested in him for a month, at most.  He couldn’t process it; he stumbled. Yixing helpfully caught him, holding him up, and Baekhyun was assaulted by visions of shirtless-Yixing in his kitchen, cooking. He hadn’t seen, but he could imagine CEO Park sitting down at his tiny kitchen table and writing notes on stick pads before hunting through his kitchen and putting them on everything.  

 

_ How am I supposed to live like this? _

 

Yixing helped him into the back of CEO Park’s enormous SUV, sliding in beside him.  Baekhyun felt his tenuous grasp on consciousness slip away for real this time. When he awoke, his hand was clamped around Yixing’s wrist.  

 

“I think you’d better just take us back to my place,” Yixing was saying.  “I know what you’re thinking, but I don’t know if he’s going to let go.” 

 

Baekhyun felt his arm being lifted, and struggled to open his eyes as Yixing displayed their hands for CEO Park.  

 

“This is a thing he does, apparently.  I wonder why,” Yixing added. There was a distinct but undefinable alteration of tone between the first sentence and the second.  

 

“You just want to get him into bed,” CEO Park said, and Baekhyun was probably farther gone than he thought because he couldn’t read the nuances in  _ his _ tone, either.  

 

“My bed  _ is _ bigger,” Yixing said thoughtfully.  “But it’s not like we live that far from each other.  Besides, it’s bad form to leave a drunk person by themselves.  What if he gets sick and chokes and dies, because you made me leave him at home alone?  Then what will you do about getting your magazine finished?” 

 

CEO Park laughed freely.  “You don’t need to convince me, I’m not your chaperone.” 

 

“Just the rebound,” Yixing pointed out, and there was something nasty in his tone.  

 

“Hey,” CEO Park said, defensively.  

 

“Sorry.  I was just thinking about Kris Wu.”  

 

CEO Park growled, a noise that sent a thrill through Baekhyun’s stomach.  “I hate that man,” CEO Park said. 

 

“It’s not your fault,” Yixing said.   “He’s the one who couldn’t –”

 

“Yeah.”  

 

Baekhyun was thrown from Yixing’s side as CEO Park yanked viciously on the wheel.  “Whoa,” he mumbled, opening his eyes again without knowing when they’d closed. 

 

“You okay?  Chanyeollie, just because Kris is your mortal enemy, there’s no need to kill us.  We’re on your side. Right, Baekhyunnie?”

 

“Right,” Baekhyun agreed, wondering what they were talking about.  Yixing ruffled his hair and dropped a light kiss on the top of his head.  Baekhyun, preoccupied with CEO Park’s rivalry with Kris Wu, barely noticed.  There was obviously a history there. Baekhyun curiously considered if he could get Yixing to explain what was going on, and why CEO Park hated Wu so much.  

 

They rolled to a stop outside a fancy looking apartment building, not far from Baekhyun’s own.  He realised that Yixing had been serious about taking him home, and that CEO Park was serious about letting them go off together, and then shuffled all the thoughts into the back of his head to be considered when he was sober.  

 

Yixing slid out of the truck and reached in to help Baekhyun.  “You’re staying with me tonight, okay?” he asked, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.  Baekhyun climbed out of the back seat and managed to stand just long enough for CEO Park to get out and close the door behind him.  The moment he took a step, the alcohol burned the bridges between his brain and his feet, and Baekhyun stumbled, falling into Yixing who tripped and nearly fell before CEO Park caught them both. 

 

“I’ve got him,” he said, and Baekhyun had enough time to see the wicked grin on his face before he was being swept up into CEO Park’s powerful arms.  The ground was suddenly too far away from his feet, and Baekhyun flung his arms around CEO Park’s neck for support, sure that the man would drop him. Yixing chuckled and keyed in the password to open the door, leading them to an elevator.  

 

“You can put me down now,” Baekhyun squeaked, once they were inside.  He was alarmingly close to CEO Park, and he could smell the man’s aftershave.  It was a woody scent that set Baekhyun’s head to spinning with more than just the alcohol he’d consumed.  

 

“When we get to Yixing-ah’s apartment, I will,” CEO Park said, almost playfully.  Baekhyun tightened his grip, his face pressed against CEO Park’s throat. Indecent images splattered across his brain.  Suddenly he was flying, and then a cloud cushioned him. He woke up and realised he’d fallen asleep, and that someone was pulling away from him.  Before he considered what he was doing, Baekhyun grabbed their hand, and then looked up into the warmly amused face of CEO Park. He let go as quickly as he’d grabbed, and buried his face in his hands. 

 

“I’m sorry,” he said.  “I don’t know why I do that.” 

 

“He said the same thing to me,” Yixing said.  Baekhyun peeked, and saw him by the door. Then he realised he was in a bed, in an unfamiliar room.  There was something a little odd about Yixing’s expression, but Baekhyun was in no state to contemplate it.  

 

“Why don’t you give him the morning off,” Yixing was telling CEO Park as they left the room.  “I don’t think he’ll be in any state to work that early. Jaejoong brought my car back, so I’ll give him a ride in as soon as he’s functional.”  

 

Baekhyun reached after them, trying to get their attention long enough to announce that he didn’t need any time off, and that he wasn’t actually  _ drunk _ , it was just that alcohol made him weak, and then they were gone.  Baekhyun flopped back onto the bed, and fell asleep within minutes. 

 

He roused a little when the bed dipped; it had been so long since anyone climbed into bed with him.  He rolled over and snuggled close to the mysterious partner, earning himself a half-familiar chuckle.  

 

“You’re like an affectionate cat,” he murmured.  Baekhyun felt an arm come around his chest, and fell back into a deeper sleep, content.  


	11. Scratching At The Floor Inside My Mind

 

Baekhyun was floating on pleasure.  He didn’t know if it was a dream or if he’d died in his sleep and gone to heaven, but it was perfectly reasonable to expect that heaven would be all sex, all the time.  He came awake slowly, breathing hard and only distantly aware that the pleasure wasn’t decreasing as he came alert. A breathy moan whispered out of his body, teased along by a hot, wet pair of lips against his throbbing erection.  

 

“Good morning,” a husky voice drifted up the length of his body, and Baekhyun propped himself up on his elbows to look and see who he’d fallen into bed with.  Yixing’s playful smile greeted him, just before the older man ducked back down and returned to his task. Baekhyun threw his head back, enjoying the sensation of an early morning blow job from an  _ extraordinarily _ talented man.  He’d never slept through the night with someone before, but he  _ had _ snuck into a previous boyfriend’s dorm room and given him this exact treatment.  It was so much better to be on the receiving end, he realised, and a pleasurable haze settled over his mind as his hips moved on their own into the rhythm Yixing had set with his lips and tongue.  

 

It felt so good, and he was already so hard, that it didn’t take long for him to spill into Yixing’s mouth. He wasn’t making a good case for his own stamina, but he’d never been in so many new situations before.  Without even stopping to consider what he was doing, he drew one leg up to his chest and looked up at Yixing from beneath his lashes. 

 

“Why don’t you fuck me?” he offered lazily.  

 

“I think I will,” Yixing murmured, his voice husky.  He climbed up Baekhyun’s body and reached over him, putting his leaking erection right into Baekhyun’s face.  Unable to resist, Baekhyun captured the tip with his lips and sucked lightly, flicking his tongue over the head to taste Yixing’s precome.  Yixing froze above him and shuddered softly. “I’m not going to get anything done if you keep that up,” he warned, and Baekhyun released him with a quiet, obscene  _ pop. _

 

“I just wanted to know what you tasted like,” Baekhyun offered in his own defense, licking his lips.  Yixing retrieved the object of his original goal and shimmied back down to rest himself between Baekhyun’s legs, leaning on his elbows to uncap the bottle of lube.  He rubbed it between his fingers to spread it around, and then reached between them, working the oil into Baekhyun’s body. Baekhyun’s back arched at the familiar-unfamiliar sensation of fingers reaching inside him – it had been so long since he had sex with anyone but himself, and the first time with someone new was always a learning experience.  Holding himself up on one hand while his other was busy inside Baekhyun, Yixing leaned down to kiss him. Baekhyun kissed back, enjoying the sensations and the attention. It was too soon for him to come again, but the tingles of pleasure were nonetheless enjoyable. 

 

At exactly the moment Baekhyun was beginning to get bored with his hand, almost as if he was reading Baekhyun’s mind, Yixing drizzled some more of the lube onto his erection and guided himself into Baekhyun’s body.  Tossing his head from side to side as he tried to deal with the intrusion, Baekhyun bit his lip. It hurt, but at the same time it felt  _ so fucking good. _  Yixing set a steady, smooth pace, sliding his hips with the same effortless grace as he did everything else, and Baekhyun wrapped his legs around Yixing’s waist to ground himself a little bit.  

 

Time began to lose its meaning as Yixing fucked him languidly.  Without warning, the older man withdrew, flipped him over, and entered him again, almost without messing his rhythm up.  Baekhyun had never cared for being manhandled around before, but in this instance he could forgive it because the new angle was shooting sparks of pleasure through his body, and the friction against the sheets was unbelievably making him hard once more.  Baekhyun leaned up on his elbows and felt Yixing press a gentle kiss to his shoulder, and then seize one of Baekhyun’s legs by the underside of his knee and yank it up. The new position was accompanied by quick, short thrusts, and Baekhyun was panting and whimpering with every movement as pleasure began to build again.  In his ear, Yixing was huffing quietly, making nearly inaudible noises with every thrust. 

 

Against every expectation Baekhyun had ever built, they climaxed together almost simultaneously.  Yixing solicitously pulled him to the side before letting him go, making sure he didn’t fall into the puddle of come he’d left cooling on the sheets.  It was, he realised, one of the single most romantic quickies he’d ever indulged in. 

 

Reality kicked him in the head.  And Yixing was known for dropping things as soon as he lost interest.  Rather than stay and cuddle, and maybe lose himself some more to someone who was more than likely going to leave him inside a month, Baekhyun freed himself from Yixing’s arms and rolled off the bed.  

 

“That was really nice,” he said, and began looking around for his clothes.  He felt the weight of Yixing’s gaze on him, and glanced over. “What?” 

 

“Why did you get up?” 

 

Unselfconscious for once, Baekhyun put his hands on his hips.  “I wasn’t asleep or out cold last night,” he said. “I heard your ah – discussion with CEO Park.”   _ About me, _ he couldn’t bring himself to add.  Yixing’s face fell, and then he recovered himself and stood up in one movement. 

 

“It’s true,” he said.  “I don’t have the best reputation when it comes to people.  But I really like you, Baekhyunnie,” he added. “I think we could make this work.” 

 

Anything else he was about to say got lost in the sudden panic that swamped Baekhyun’s afterglow.  “Work! Oh my god, work, I’m so late, CEO Park is going to kill me!” He frantically began searching the piles of clothes on the floor, looking for anything that resembled his belongings.  Behind him, Yixing laughed. 

 

“You have today off, remember?  Or at least the morning.” 

 

“But he was so –”

 

“Channie-yeol knows we’ll get his papers written,” Yixing said smoothly.  “Why don’t you come take a shower with me, and we’ll find you something clean to wear?” 

 

*

 

That morning kicked off one of the best times of Baekhyun’s short life.  He’d never had a real relationship before, but neither had Yixing and they had fun with each other, discovering ways to make each other laugh.  It wasn’t all amazing sex, either, though there was plenty of that too. Yixing liked to surprise him with coffee, or little gifts, and Baekhyun found himself falling into the same patterns.  He would find something that just reminded him of the barista/model and have to get it and surprise him with it. 

 

He was also a little startled to learn that the unicorn pendant had been a gift from Yixing’s grandmother, and that Yixing never took it off.   The fact that it had fallen unnoticed into Baekhyun’s couch was an accident, but after some serious consideration, Yixing declared that he could keep wearing it.  

 

“I like seeing something of mine on you,” he said.  And despite the troubles CEO Park was having with Rising Sun’s CEO, Kris Wu – troubles he was taking out on his staff, either inadvertently or deliberately – Baekhyun decided that between his job and his boyfriend, his life was looking pretty fucking wondering.  

 

He even thought he might be falling in love with Yixing.  Despite his constant efforts to keep his emotions under control, he couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what he was feeling.  At first, he’d been on edge, waiting for Yixing to drop him, but as the weeks marched on, and Yixing even gave him the necklace to wear, Baekhyun fell deeper and deeper.  His life was absolutely perfect. 

 

*

 

Midway through morning meetings, Baekhyun was sent across to Yixing’s shop to collect coffee.  He knew it was a calculated move on CEO Park’s part – they could have sent Sehun, or Kyungsoo, seeing as how it was their job – and he couldn’t tell whether or not he was grateful for the chance to escape the horrific boredom of the meetings.  His feelings for CEO Park continued to rage on right alongside his feelings for Yixing, and while his boss remained completely out of his reach, he was content with Yixing’s devoted attention. 

 

Stepping out of the chilly October air, the warmth and the smell of coffee was like walking through the gates of heaven.  Baekhyun paused just inside the door to inhale and let some of the warmth seep into him. Yixing was behind the counter pulling an espresso for a customer, but he glanced up at the sound of the door and smiled warmly when he caught sight of Baekhyun.  

 

He made his way up to the counter.  “Everyone needs something,” Baekhyun said.  Yixing was familiar enough with this routine that he didn’t need to ask for further details.  Wishing he could go around the counter and give Yixing a kiss, Baekhyun settled for seating himself at one of the tables and waiting for the coffees to be prepared.  As he watched through one of the windows, it began to snow. Gently at first, the flakes began to fall faster and thicker, and within minutes a soft blanket of white lay over the street and cars.  

 

Yixing brought two bags out to him with a sly smile.  “I got permission to help you carry these back over,” he said.  Baekhyun grinned, and accepted one of the bags. 

 

“Thank you,” he whispered.  “Look, it’s snowing.” 

 

“You sound like a little kid,” Yixing laughed.  Baekhyun couldn’t help the laugh that burbled up from inside him in response. 

 

“I love the snow,” he admitted.  “Why don’t we go for a walk later?”  He held the door for Yixing and they stepped out into the street.  It was noticeably colder, and Yixing shivered in his light polo shirt.  “You’ll have to dress warmer than that,” Baekhyun admonished teasingly. Yixing made a face at him, pursing his lips, and then they were interrupted by someone shouting Baekhyun’s name.   Looking across the street, Kyungsoo was hanging out of the doorway, and for once his expression wasn’t disdainful disinterest. 

 

“Baekhyun!” he shouted again.  “Telephone call! It’s an emergency!” 

 

Baekhyun and Yixing exchanged glances, and then Baekhyun quickened his step to get across the street.  “What’s wrong?” 

 

“Line one,” Kyungsoo said in lieu of an answer.  He took the bag from Baekhyun’s hand and gestured towards his desk.  With one more concerned look at Yixing for support, Baekhyun hurried across the lobby and picked up the phone.  

 

“This is Byun Baekhyun,” he said.  

 

“I am officer Bang Yongguk,” came the reply.  “I’m very sorry to have to tell you this over the phone…” 

 

The words echoed through Baekhyun’s mind until there was nothing left.  The handset dropped from nerveless fingers and he followed it down as his legs refused to support him any longer.  Almost immediately, he was surrounded by concerned faces. CEO Park and Yixing were the only ones he could see with any clarity, and after a moment even they became blurry as tears filled his eyes.  

 

“What’s wrong?”  

 

“Byun, talk to me.”  

 

“What happened?”

 

“Is he okay?” 

 

Baekhyun took a deep breath.  “I need to go home,” he said and wiped his eyes.  He couldn’t afford to fall apart here. Then he remembered he didn’t have a car, and he couldn’t handle taking the bus at the moment.  “Kyungsoo, can you call a cab for me?” His voice was still trembling, but he was determined to keep a lid on the emotional explosion that was threatening him.   

 

CEO Park seized him by the shoulders.  “I’ll take you home, Byun,” he promised.  “But you have to tell me what happened.” 

 

Baekhyun couldn’t bring himself to speak for a moment.  It was as if saying the words aloud would make them more real.  He swallowed, and looked up. CEO Park had been nothing but kind and wonderful to him since he’d been hired.  He was owed the reason Baekhyun was bailing on him once again. “My parents were killed in a car accident earlier today.”  

 

Yixing was at his side, all but shoving CEO Park out of the way.  “I’m so sorry, Baekhyun,” he whispered, and wrapped both arms around him.  Baekhyun clung to him, needing any kind of support he could get. 

 

“I’ll bring you home,” CEO Park promised.  “Everybody else get back to work right now!” He clapped his hands and scattered the milling crowd.  Baekhyun was only aware of Yixing’s comforting warmth and the distant sound of CEO Park’s voice. It wasn’t fair, how his entire life had gone from wonderful to shattered in the span of thirty seconds.  He didn’t know what to do. The shock of the news the officer had delivered was too great, too much for him to handle, and he wasn’t aware of anything else for the rest of the day. For all he knew, Yixing and CEO Park might have taken him to Mars.  He didn’t even realise when they bundled him out of the car and into his apartment, but he roused somewhat when Yixing began pulling his clothes off. 

 

“Get a shower,” Yixing ordered him when he focused.  “I’ll make you some coffee. I’m here for you,” he said, and Baekhyun looked around, realised he was home, and fell apart.  He didn’t have the greatest relationship with his parents, but they were his  _ parents. _

 

And now they were gone, just like that.  Yixing held him and crooned softly under his breath, rocking him as Baekhyun let out a grief that was too much for his body to contain.  


	12. I can't help falling in love with you

 

After that first blissful morning when Yixing finally gave in to his baser urges and woke Baekhyun up with a special  _ surprise, _ everything seemed to be going beautifully.  Chanyeol met him for lunch a few days after they decided to officially date.

 

“How’re things with Byun?” 

 

“That’s inappropriate and unprofessional,” Yixing teased him.  “You shouldn’t take so much of an interest in your employee’s love lives, it looks bad.” 

 

Chanyeol waved his fork at him.  “It’s just concern. If you break his heart, his productivity will go down, and he’s one of my best writers.  He’s still managing his editorial duties, too. Maybe he wants to impress you.” The grumpy look on his face belied the easy words, and Yixing felt moved to explain himself.  

 

“I’m not going to break his heart,” he said solemnly.  “I know you liked him too, but I really like him. I think it’s going well.  Looks like you’ll have to play white knight with some other guy. What about your mail boy?  He’s not bad looking.” 

 

“Sehun?  He’s head over heels for our Senior Editor, Luhan.  It’s making me insane watching all the little love flowers blossom all over the office.” 

 

Yixing snorted and choked on his water.  With Chanyeol unhelpfully pounding on his back, he struggled to breathe around the liquid he’d accidentally inhaled until he got his breath back.  When he’d recovered, he found himself laughing anew. “Love flowers,” he repeated, still giggling. 

 

“Oh, and our newest design editor has a thing for you,” Chanyeol added suddenly.  “Jongin is the only one who can safely approach my receptionist without getting his head bitten off, and even Luhan, as oblivious as he is, noticed Sehun was watching him the other day, so yes.  Love flowers are blossoming in the office.” 

 

Yixing blinked owlishly.  “Who is your newest design editor?” 

 

Chanyeol gave him a flat look.  Yixing raised his hands defensively before ducking his head and taking a small bite of his food.  When he’d swallowed, he continued.

 

“I’m not interested,” he said.  “I really like Baekhyun. I think it’s going to last with him.  I just want to know, so I know who to avoid.” 

 

Chanyeol’s flat look only changed when he raised one eyebrow.  “He gave his name as Choi Suho, but I’m almost certain that’s a nickname.  He’s the one with the frosted blond hair who’s been hanging around Kyungsoo’s desk.  It’s gotten to the point where Jongin has actually come to me and complained.”

 

Yixing choked on his drink, swallowed, and laughed.  “Why is Jongin complaining?” 

 

“Why do you think?” 

 

Yixing looked thoughtful.  “I suppose it’s because Jongin has a particular thing for your receptionist?” 

 

Chanyeol rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes.  “It’s crazy. I’m almost grateful Byun got involved with you and not someone else in the office.  I should hang a memo about office romances being off –limits, just to prevent the inevitable angst when people start breaking up.” 

 

“You have such a romantic outlook,” Yixing told him flatly.  “Not all romances end in heartbreak.” 

 

“Enough do.” 

 

“Ours didn’t.” 

 

“But it did end.”  

 

Stymied, Yixing changed the subject.  “I hope you’re going to give Baekhyunnie a raise for all the hard work he’s been doing for you,” he said, leveling a flat stare at his friend.   

 

Chanyeol took the subject shift in stride.  “Of course I am! He may even see a promotion by next year if he keeps it up.  I can’t give it to him too quickly, or it looks like favouritisim, but he’s eligible at his six month mark, and he’ll reach that in December.”  

 

They continued the gossiping and scuttlebutt through the lunch break, and they both left feeling lighter and more cheerful.  

 

*

 

In the midst of a hectic morning in the coffee shop, Yixing was grateful when the bell over the door jingled and in walked Baekhyun, looking frozen but happy.  When he stopped to just sniff the air, Yixing felt his heart stumble in his chest, overwhelmed with an emotion he couldn’t – or didn’t want to – name. When Baekhyun finally made it to the counter to place his order, Yixing was already scheming of a way to get a few minutes to spend with him.  When he saw Baekhyun looking out the window and followed his gaze, he realised it was snowing outside, which solidified it. 

 

“I’m going across the street to help him carry his order,” he informed the manager.  Looking harried but enjoying it, the manager waved permission his way with one hand, and Yixing bagged up the cups and came around the corner.  He wished he could stop and give Baekhyun a kiss, despite the crowded shop, and from the look on his face, Baekhyun was wishing the same thing. Before Yixing could offer a chance at a date, Baekhyun was suggesting they go for a walk together, and Yixing felt the familiar little pitter-patter of his heart.  

 

“Baekhyun!   _ Byun Baekhyun!” _

 

Looking up, Yixing saw Chanyeol’s surly receptionist, Kyungsoo, hanging out of the doorway.  He had a concerned look on his face, and the two of them hurried across the street. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Baekhyun asked, and was deflected.  Kyungsoo stopped Yixing by the door, taking the bags with the steaming drinks from him and depositing them on his desk.  In the corner, Baekhyun was on the phone, face white. 

 

“What happened?” Yixing asked.  

 

“It’s the cops,” Kyungsoo informed him.  Chanyeol and a few of his employees – including, Yixing noticed, the ubiquitous Suho, as well as Sehun and Luhan – appeared in the lobby.  Chanyeol was scowling. 

 

“I heard you yelling from the back of the building,” he said.  “What happened?” 

 

“Baekhyun,” Yixing said, and shot across the lobby like a bullet.  The phone dropped to the floor with a clatter, and his boyfriend followed it down, hitting his knees with a stunned expression on his face.  Yixing was at his side immediately, the rest of the crowd following at less than the speed of light. “Baek, what’s wrong? What happened?” 

 

Concerned, everyone else was standing over him, asking questions.  Shell-shocked, Baekhyun mumbled that he needed to leave. Then he appeared to pull himself together and asked Kyungsoo to call a cab.  Before Yixing could draw breath to offer his car, Chanyeol was also there, offering to take him home personally. 

 

Baekhyun looked up, his expression so lost and alone that he looked all of five years old.  “My parents were killed in a car accident earlier today,” he whispered, and Yixing hauled Chanyeol out of the way so he could give his boyfriend a hug.  

 

“I’m so sorry, Baekhyun,” he whispered, wondering what he could do.  No amount of money in the world could make this hurt less, and Yixing knew from experience that there was nothing he could say or do that would make things okay again.  But he could, and would, just be there. Sometimes, that was all that mattered. Baekhyun lapsed into a stunned silence while Chanyeol dispersed the crowd and went to collect his jeep.  Yixing knelt on the floor of the lobby, holding onto Baekhyun, who clung to him like a life-raft until Chanyeol returned. 

 

It took both of them to get Baekhyun to his feet, and even then he seemed to have forgotten how to work his legs.  Taking control, Chanyeol lifted him into his arms and Yixing looked on helplessly as Baekhyun was carried away from him.  He hurried to catch up to them, and sat beside the catatonic young man while Chanyeol maneuvered them through traffic. Baekhyun remained unresponsive until they were inside his apartment and Yixing, at a loss for what else to do, began tugging at his clothes, hoping to elicit a response.  To his relief, Baekhyun finally seemed to realise where he was. 

 

“Get a shower,” Yixing ordered him.  “I’ll make you some coffee,” he added, knowing that Baekhyun would need the caffeine jag to get functional again.  Then, seeing the helplessly lost look on his face, Yixing added, “I’m here for you.” 

 

It seemed the words broke whatever dam was holding back inside Baekhyun, because he immediately dropped to the ground, body trembling as tears overtook him.  Yixing was at his side again instantly, holding onto him with all the affection and caring that was in his heart. He might even have called it love. 


	13. Through Stained Glass Eyes And Colorful Tears

 

Baekhyun called out of work sick for a full week before CEO Park finally caved and told him to take the rest of the month off.  To Baekhyun, who found himself in helpless tears over everything since The Phone Call, thanked him with watery eyes and an uneven voice and shut his phone off.  He was vaguely aware that Yixing had been texting regularly, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer any of them. He was as okay as he was going to get, and Yixing’s hovering presence had begun to grate on his nerves.  Now that he was gone, however, Baekhyun found himself wondering if it had been the right thing to do. He hadn’t bothered to shower, or even get dressed in over a week. He counted it a victory if he even made it out of his bedroom to the couch, and recognised the signs of depression in himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.  

 

By the end of the second week, he was beginning to hate himself for not going in to work, but just getting up and eating was taking everything he had.  He turned his computer on, and found a flood of emails from literally everyone in the company offering their condolences and well-wishes. Foremost among them, CEO Park’s name stood out, but he noticed Yixing had also emailed him. 

 

Dispiritedly, he clicked through all of the emails, and found CEO Park had offered to let him work from home.  There was also a message about turning his phone back on. 

 

Yixing’s messages were more intimate, as well as being more demanding.  

 

_ Baekhyunnie, I’m worried about you.  Come back. _

 

_ I’m coming over there if you don’t respond soon. _

 

_ Turn your phone back on, babe, you’re worrying me sick. _

 

As he was reading, another one came in.   _ I’m coming over there now.  You better hope I don’t find your corpse. _

 

Despite himself, Baekhyun laughed quietly.  As if that was the cue, his door opened. It was only then that Baekhyun realised he’d neglected to lock it, but when he turned around and saw it was Yixing, he was mildly gratified.  It saved him from having to get up and unlock it, after all. 

 

“Are you just now reading those?” Yixing asked, gliding into the apartment as if he owned it.  The serene energy he emitted was often distracting and draining to Baekhyun, but today, he found comfort in it, drinking up Yixing’s presence like water.  

 

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said.  “I haven’t felt like doing much, lately.”  He gestured at the stack of takeout boxes that were accumulating near his coffee table.  

 

“I’ll cook,” Yixing promised, and swept into the kitchen.  Baekhyun replied to CEO Park, assuring him that he was still alive, and he would try to begin writing again over the weekend, and then curiously got up to follow Yixing into the kitchen.  He was already hard at work, boiling water in a pot on one burner, and the kettle was already going on another. Yixing caught him before he managed to get too far into the room, and hugged him.  Baekhyun clung to him, realising only in that moment how much he’d needed to be held. 

 

“Look,” Yixing whispered.  “I know it hurts. I’ve been where you are.  But you can’t give up.” He pressed a kiss against Baekhyun’s head, and squeezed him, refusing to let go until Baekhyun pulled away.  Baekhyun nodded silently, fearing that his throat would close up with tears if he tried to speak. Gradually, Yixing’s presence began to act as a balm on his soul, soothing the gaping wound left by the loss of his parents.  He had an understanding boss and a wonderful boyfriend, but he decided he couldn’t use them as a crutch to just give up on living. 

 

After dinner, he and Yixing were curled up on the couch watching movies.  “I’m going to take another week,” he said. “And then I’ll try going back to work.  It’s got to be better than sitting around my apartment all day, right?” 

 

Yixing smiled at him, and it was like the sun had come out.  “Right,” he said. “And you may want to shower, too.” His nose wrinkled, and Baekhyun bopped him on the shoulder.  

 

“I’ve had other things on my mind lately,” he reminded his boyfriend.  Yixing caught him before he could hit him again and pressed a kiss to the back of his hand. 

 

“I know.”  With that cryptic remark, he tucked Baekhyun closer to him and turned his attention back to the movie.  After a long silence, Yixing stirred again. “Baekhyunnie, you know I love you, right?” 

 

Baekhyun blinked as tears sprang into his eyes.  For the first time since The Phone Call, he found a genuine smile tugging at his lips.  “I know,” he said playfully. The silence stretched expectantly, and then Yixing made a pouting noise.  

 

“Really?” he asked.  Baekhyun laughed, feeling lighter than he had in weeks.  

 

“I love you too,” he whispered, happy despite the overwhelming despair that still lingered.  Yixing squeezed him again, and Baekhyun pointed his face in the direction of the TV, not really seeing it as the tears slipped down his face, sliding over his smiling lips.   _ I do, _ he realised.   _ I love him.  Ah, mom, I think you would have loved him, too. _


	14. Nightmares No Longer Wait For Sleep

 

CEO Park smiled genuinely when Baekhyun turned up in the lobby, dressed and ready to work.  He’d turned in a few things in over the last few weeks, mostly at Yixing’s insistence, and felt like he was setting a poor example.  His parents were definitely watching him from heaven now, and they wouldn’t be pleased that he was shirking his job because of them. Guilt drove him back, but the pleased smile on CEO Park’s face kept him from fleeing the building as soon as he walked in.  He really didn’t feel prepared to be working, but he couldn’t handle another moment in his apartment. 

 

No one really said anything outright to him, but he could tell they all knew by the subdued way they treated him.  Even Jongdae only made a half-hearted attempt for his phone. Baekhyun took a deep breath. His mother had been so pleased when he landed the job, he wanted to make her proud of him all over again.  Once he was back in his little cubicle, and found the weeks’ worth of emails waiting for him, it was almost too easy to slip back into the habit of working. He didn’t notice the call for lunch, and it wasn’t until someone’s arm came between his eyes and his screen that he even remembered to take a break.  

 

“You work too hard,” CEO Park said, dropping a takeout case on his desk with a pleased smile.  Baekhyun bowed nervously at him, and peered at the takeout. The delicious smells emanating from the bag set his stomach to grumbling and reminded him that he hadn’t eaten much that day.  

 

“I’ve got a lot to catch up on,” Baekhyun said belatedly.  “What’s this?” 

 

“Eat,” CEO Park ordered him.  “Or I’ll lock your computer and kick you out of the building.”  His eyes were serious, but the corners of his lips twitched up, and Baekhyun bowed again to hide a smile of his own.  

 

“Thank you,” he said quietly.  CEO Park, on his way out of the cubicle, stopped in the open doorway and looked back at him, quirking one eyebrow.  

 

“You’re welcome,” he said.  There was an undefinable tone in his voice that Baekhyun felt he should recognise, and it startled him when he couldn’t identify it.  The spastic corporate leader excused himself, leaving Baekhyun with a lot of questions and a bag of steaming food. 

 

*

 

A few days later, Baekhyun was at Yixing’s coffee shop getting his morning caffeine fix.  Yixing himself had a modeling engagement and was absent, but Baekhyun had been getting to know the other baristas just by sheer proximity, and he laughed at one of the jokes the cashier told while he waited for his coffee.  

 

“You have a beautiful voice,” someone said from behind him.  Baekhyun turned, half-expecting Yixing, and was surprised to find a pair of lustrous dark eyes peering at him from beneath a mop of shaggy black hair.  Baekhyun flushed with embarrassment. 

 

“Not really,” he deflected.  

 

“I think so,” the stranger pressed.  “Huang Zitao. Do you come in here often?” 

 

“Byun Baekhyun,” he replied.  “And yes. I work in the office just across the street.”  

 

Huang looked delighted.  “You work for Shining Star?  Are you a writer?” 

 

Baekhyun started to disagree, and then paused.  “Lately,” he said. “We’ve lost a few employees to another publisher recently.” 

 

Huang made soothing noises.  “I suppose I should let you get back to work then,” he said, and started to turn away.  He quickly came back before he’d gone more than a full step. “Can I give you my phone number, at least?” 

 

“Babe!”  

 

Huang and Baekhyun both turned at the sound of Yixing’s lilting voice.  Sailing into the café, Yixing crossed the empty floor at a swift glide, drawing Baekhyun into his arms and pressing a kiss to his cheek.  Huang’s face fell, and then he did a double take at Yixing.

 

“You’re with him?” he asked, startling Baekhyun.  “I have to go,” he added. “It was nice meeting you, Baekhyun.”  He took his coffee and exited the coffee shop, pulling his phone from his pocket before he was out the door.  Baekhyun shook his head, completely nonplussed by the encounter. 

 

Yixing hooked his arms around Baekhyun’s waist.  “Who was that?” 

 

“I have no idea.  Huang something. He just started speaking to me.”  

 

“Weird.” 

 

Baekhyun, pleased that Yixing was nearby, put the odd encounter out of his mind.  “I thought you had work to do?”

 

“I missed you,” Yixing murmured, and nuzzled his neck in the way he knew set Baekhyun’s heart racing.  

 

“Don’t do that here,” Baekhyun hissed, embarrassed.  “And I should be getting back to work.” 

 

“Channie-yeol will understand,” Yixing whispered.  “Unless we do it on his desk, and then he’d probably get a little upset.” 

 

Scandalised, Baekhyun pulled away.  “How can you just say things like that?” he demanded, face burning.  Yixing grinned at him.

 

“I inhale, and push air through my vocal chords while my lips and tongue form shapes to pronounce the words,” he said.  The barista laughed; Baekhyun just sighed and collected his coffee. Baekhyun walked outside and realized it had started snowing at some point.  November was almost halfway gone, and he wasn’t entirely sure where the time went. Before long, they would be taking their weeklong Christmas vacation – he and Yixing had made plans to fly to Cheju together, and Baekhyun was anticipating it more than he thought he would.  Beside him, Yixing inhaled deeply. 

 

“I love the snow,” he said, lifting his face to let it fall onto his cheeks.  Baekhyun felt like the older one of them most of the time. Yixing glanced at him with a sly look.  “And I was thinking, maybe Channie-yeol wouldn’t mind us doing it on his desk if we invited him to join.” 

 

Baekhyun nearly dropped his coffee.  “ _ What? _ ” 

 

Yixing refused to repeat himself until they’d safely crossed the street.  “I jerked off last night thinking about fucking you while you sucked him off,” he whispered.  Baekhyun felt an uncomfortable heat creeping up his stomach into his neck, and down into his groin.  “He’d probably go for it,” Yixing encouraged. “Should we ask him?” 

 

“Yixing,” Baekhyun said, scandalised.  “He’s my  _ boss. _ ” 

 

“So?” 

 

Baekhyun sometimes despaired of ever getting Yixing to act like a human being.  Mostly, it was charming, but on days like this, when he leapt onto something – particularly something that embarrassed or discomfited Baekhyun – he would worry it like a dog with a bone, milking the moments for all he could get out of them.  Now Baekhyun was going to have to face CEO Park across the board meeting room table with Yixing’s fantasies dancing through his head. Thank god it wasn’t his turn to present, he thought. He’d never have managed it. 

 

Fortunately, everyone was familiar with Yixing’s tendencies, and Baekhyun’s flaming hot face brought a few stares but no actual comments.  He trusted that Jongdae would come to him with the office scuttlebutt about it later, though. Despite the fact that he’d only been working for Shining Star for less than six months, Baekhyun was really beginning to think he’d finally found his calling in life.  He had a wonderful boyfriend, and a wonderful job, and except for the lingering pain of his parent’s unexpected deaths, his life was pretty wonderful in general. Even the irascible Kyungsoo waved and smiled at him when he walked through the lobby, and Baekhyun wouldn’t have wished to be anywhere else. 


	15. Slow Conversations With A Gun

 

“What are your thoughts, Byun?” 

 

Baekhyun jerked out of a fantasy of sliding down that long, lithe body and unwrapping him like a present while Yixing fucked him long and slow.  Feeling the heat creeping up his neck and into his face, Baekhyun cleared his throat. “A-About what?” 

 

Someone snickered.  CEO Park didn’t even blink.  “The new publishing schedule.  I’ve got my winter interns coming in soon, so we’ll have enough hands to get everything rolling again.”  His tone said  _ Pay attention, Byun! _  But his expression was warm as melted chocolate and Baekhyun imagined he could hear CEO Park’s thoughts whispering across his skin.   _ Why are you staring at me like that?  What are you thinking about during my meeting? _

 

Baekhyun hastily referenced his notes and then nodded.  “This seems doable,” he said. The snicker came again and Baekhyun recognised Jongdae by the way he turned his head and covered his mouth.  Suddenly struck by the mortifying thought that he’d given himself away somehow, Baekhyun cleared his throat and stacked his papers together.  “Should be no problem,” he reiterated. “You’ve got the best publishing team in the world.” 

 

His statement drew cheers and whistles as the rest of them packed up their notes and briefings.  CEO Park caught his attention as they were all filing out of the conference room; his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his tie was loose.  His hair looked like he’d been raking his hands through it, and Baekhyun was struck by how stressed out he’d been lately. He was keeping his usual cheerful façade up, but the strain was beginning to show in the cracks around his edges.  Baekhyun hung back, letting everyone else leave before him. 

 

When it was just the two of them in the room, he cleared his throat.  CEO Park looked up like his head was being pulled on a string. 

 

“Yes, Byun?  Did you need something?”  

 

There was a very faint emphasis on the word  _ need. _  Baekhyun lifted his chin and tried to pretend like he wasn’t blushing again, Yixing’s horrible fantasies dancing through his mind.  

 

“Sir, we’ll get them off our turf and beat them in whatever game they’re planning,” Baekhyun said softly.  Some of the tension around CEO Park’s eyes melted away as he smiled. 

 

“With you in my corner, how could we not?” he asked.  The warmth seeping through Baekhyun’s body this time held no sexual heat, but it was all the more pleasant because CEO Park thought Baekhyun was one of his best employees. 

 

_ Are you still proud of me, mom? _

 

*

 

Yixing was wrapped around him like a cat.  There were three weeks until the holiday break, and they’d been finalizing their plans for the trip to Cheju.  The TV was on, but Yixing had discovered a DVD that was nothing but a video of a flame, accompanied by soft music and the crackling of a real fire and popped it in.  The lights were off, the snow was falling earnestly outside, and Baekhyun was the happiest man alive. He had everything he could have ever dreamed of when he was a child.  A boyfriend who loved him, a boss who believed in him, a job that he loved… 

 

“If I died tomorrow,” Baekhyun said suddenly, “I would die the happiest person in the world.”  

 

Yixing shuddered.  “As happy as I am that you’re happy, please don’t talk about dying.”  His fingers slid through Baekhyun’s ungelled hair and Baekhyun felt his eyes flutter closed.  

 

“I love you,” he whispered.  Yixing huffed quietly, a happy, contented little laugh.  

 

“I love you too, you fool,” he said.  Baekhyun inhaled deeply and fell asleep before he finished breathing out.  He woke up with fire in his veins and a languid pleasure soaking through him as Yixing rubbed him through his cotton pyjama pants.  The fire movie was off, and some American movie about dreams was playing in the background. Those impressions were fleeting as Yixing carefully flicked his wrist over the head of Baekhyun’s cock, drawing a stifled moan out of him.  

 

“You’re insatiable,” Baekhyun murmured sleepily.  

 

“I was bored,” Yixing laughed at him.  “And you looked so hot while you were sleeping I couldn’t help myself.” 

 

“We should do this in the bed,” Baekhyun said, his breath hitching on a moan as Yixing continued the little massage.  

 

“But that means moving,” Yixing whined.  

 

“But there’s more room in the bed,” Baekhyun pointed out.  

 

“Were you having a good dream?” Yixing asked, choosing to ignore Baekhyun’s logic in favour of moving his hand into a firmer rhythm now that Baekhyun was awake again.  Since Baekhyun didn’t remember dreaming, he shrugged and tried to spread his legs further to give Yixing more room to work with. “You were smiling,” Yixing told him.

 

“I must have been dreaming about you,” Baekhyun said.  “And the reason I’m falling asleep on your couch instead of in your bed.”

 

“What reason would that be?” Yixing’s other hand slid up his stomach and tweaked a nipple.  Baekhyun was hard and ready just like that, and he writhed out of Yixing’s embrace, propping himself up on the arm of the couch in order to put his ass in the air. 

 

“Fuck me,” Baekhyun offered, and then laughed at himself.  “It’s because you’re keeping me up all the time with sex.” 

 

“You’re the one who offered.”

 

“You’re the one who got me started.”  

 

“I hate it when you use logic on me,” Yixing sighed, but he was shimmying his pants down his hips with both hands.  “I can’t resist you,” he said quietly. “If you chose to use your powers for evil, I’d probably destroy the world for you if you wanted it.”  

 

Baekhyun didn’t want power over anyone; Yixing’s words concerned him just a little, and then he decided it must have been payback for his own comment about dying happy.  “Are you going to fuck me or talk all night?” he asked, changing the subject again. It was a sign of the extent of Yixing’s influence on him, that habit of not replying to anything that made him uncomfortable or nervous in any way.  

 

“Both,” Yixing said.  “Because while you were sleeping, I was thinking.”  He lubed himself up quickly and slid into Baekhyun’s body with practiced ease.  No matter how many times they fucked, it was electric, and Baekhyun’s nerves lit up with pleasure just knowing Yixing was inside him.  “Do you think we could get Channie-yeol over here to stand beside the couch?” 

 

Baekhyun coughed and then moaned as Yixing reached around and tugged gently on one of his piercings.  “Why do you want to talk about CEO Park right now?” 

 

“Because it’s my favourite fantasy,” Yixing said, smoothly gliding in and out of Baekhyun without missing a beat.  “I want you to suck him off right here. Pretend he’s here now. Would you be sucking him?”

 

As always, Yixing’s words lit Baekhyun’s imagination on fire.  He could all-too-easily picture the lanky CEO standing in front of him, and Baekhyun was pretty sure that his head was at just the right height, where he was kneeling on the couch, to comfortably reach him.  All he’d need to do would be unbutton his trousers and let Baekhyun take him. Yixing thrust in sharply and Baekhyun moaned loudly at the jab of pleasure coinciding with the thought of being between the two of them.  

 

“Yes,” he hissed.  “Fuck yes.” He could practically feel the hot, heavy length of CEO Park’s dick on his tongue and found himself panting.  Yixing made even the most outlandish things seem perfectly plausible, and Baekhyun decided to turn it back around on him. “Yixing…” he said and had to stop because Yixing was pounding him breathless.  He locked his elbows and hung his head as the pleasure built, trying to remember what he’d been thinking. “Fuck, you know what I did the other day?” 

 

One elegant hand curled around his leaking erection, pumping in time with the short, quick thrusts.  “Me?” 

 

“I jerked off thinking about being sandwiched between you two,” Baekhyun admitted breathlessly.  

 

Yixing cried out and lost his rhythm.  Baekhyun could feel him shaking as he climaxed, and pouted.  

 

“You’re done already?” 

 

“Fucking  _ hell, _ ” Yixing breathed.  “That… was  _ not _ what I was expecting.”  He withdrew and made Baekhyun turn around and hook one leg over the back of the couch, settling himself between Baekhyun’s thighs and tracing the tattoo on his hip with one finger.   Baekhyun’s dick jumped at the touch, hoping Yixing would touch him again. “Fuck that was  _ hot, _ ” Yixing said, still laughing breathlessly.  “I think – Fuck, I think that’s the first time I’ve ever come before you.”  

 

“Still horny,” Baekhyun whined.  “If you’re not going to keep going, move so I can –  _ Ugnn. _ ”  Yixing cut him off by sucking him deep into his throat, swallowing around the head and flicking his tongue against the shaft.  Then he was humming and the vibrations made Baekhyun’s head spin. He clamped down on his rising orgasm, wanting to prolong the pleasure for as long as possible.  Yixing didn’t hesitate, working him over with both hands and his mouth until Baekhyun was a writhing mess. Just before he tipped over the edge, Yixing pulled back.  Baekhyun cried out at the loss. 

 

“Why’d you – why – why’d you stop?” he breathed.  

 

“Since you’re so determined to hold out on me,” Yixing said teasingly.  “I figured I’d help you out.” 

 

Baekhyun scowled at him and then pulled his leg off the back of the couch, fully intending to make good on his threat to go take care of himself.  He was so hard it hurt. 

 

“Wait,” Yixing said, seizing his wrist and holding him down.  “I’ll make it worth your time if you wait just a moment,” he promised.  There was a gleam in his eyes that Baekhyun knew all too well. He was beginning to regret admitting that he’d fantasized about CEO Park, since it was only going to encourage Yixing to murmur more filthy things into his ear at inopportune times.  Love and trust that Yixing wouldn’t leave him hanging if he didn’t have something mind-blowing planned won out and Baekhyun allowed his boyfriend to manhandle him into a sitting position on the couch. His dick was leaking, his ass was still throbbing from Yixing’s fucking – despite the shockingly premature orgasm; Baekhyun was pretty sure Yixing studied some sort of tantric sex manual to be able to do the things he did sometimes – and he was tired and turned on and he was losing patience again.  

 

Yixing settled himself on Baekhyun’s lap, and for a moment Baekhyun wondered if he was going to jerk them off together.  Then he lifted himself up and guided Baekhyun into his body and Baekhyun felt the heat of his body sink down on him through a fog.  Tears sprang to his eyes – he’d never  _ imagined _ it would feel like this! – and he let out a strangled moan.  

 

“What –”

 

Yixing shushed him with one finger.  “I figured it was time,” he said. “And besides, you wanted to be in the middle, right?  What did you think you were going to be doing? Just a dick in each end?” Yixing picked himself up and dropped back to Baekhyun’s lap with an obscene  _ slap _ of skin against skin.  He shuddered and tilted his head back.  Baekhyun was losing his grip on reality as pleasure rippled through him, deeper and more intense than anything he’d ever felt before.  “You’re more than just a hole,” Yixing assured him, catching his full lower lip in his teeth and biting down. The erotic sight of Yixing with his head thrown back in pleasure, coupled with the agonizingly pleasurable feeling of being surrounded by Yixing’s body overwhelmed him and he came so hard he saw stars.  

 

*

 

“Fucking Christmas party,” Baekhyun muttered to himself.  CEO Park had made it clear that they were all required to attend, and that it would be fancy dress; the women in evening gowns, the men in tuxedos.  Baekhyun didn’t even  _ own _ a tuxedo, which was why he was frantically searching through the racks of fancy clothing.  He still had to finish his shopping for Christmas gifts and get the rest of his things packed for his upcoming vacation. He didn’t have  _ time _ to be shopping for clothes right now!

 

“Oh.”  A vaguely familiar voice drifted over to him.  Baekhyun looked up and knew he’d seen the guy before.  It was hard to forget those eyes, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember the guy’s name.  “I remember you. Coffee shop guy.” 

 

Baekhyun laughed softly.  “Yeah. And you’re…?” 

 

“Zitao,” he said smoothly.  “What are you doing here?” He peered around at the racks of jackets.  “Fancy party?” 

 

“Company Christmas Party,” Baekhyun offered.  Zitao looked at what he’d already selected, and then vetoed the jacket he was holding.  

 

“Get one with a better fabric,” he said.  Eyeing the racks for just a moment, he pulled a different one out at random.  Baekhyun couldn’t tell the difference between the two, but he  _ could _ see that Zitao’s choice  _ was  _ a better match to his trousers.  

 

“Wow,” he said.  “Thanks. You know I’ve been in here for an hour, trying to figure that out?” Zitao smiled calmly, reminding Baekhyun eerily of Yixing.  “Anyway, my lunch break is over, I’ve gotta get back. Thanks for your help!” He bowed quickly, took his choices to the counter, and waited while the ninety year old clerk rang things up at a pace that wouldn’t have strained a snail.  Baekhyun was fairly bouncing in place when he was finally finished folding and bagging the purchases. He raced back to work and had just settled at his desk when the text message from Yixing came in. 

 

_ I’m outside; want coffee? _


	16. An island off the coast of nowhere

 

_ Imagine a city where everything’s pretty, and you sir, you rule the kingdom _ _   
_ _ You call the shots, you can do what you want to, oh just imagine the freedom… _ _   
_ _ This is a place where your mind can escape, all the problems today, they go far, far away. _ _   
_ __ This is a town with no history, welcome to mystery. 

“Welcome to Mystery” – Plain White T’s (Almost Alice)

  
  


I only see the gun because I’m looking down at my phone, texting Baekhyun that I’m outside now.  I know I shouldn’t stop, but self-preservation instincts halt my feet mid-step. I freeze from the toes up.  I’m not even breathing. Why is there a man with a gun outside my boyfriend – and best friend’s – workplace? 

 

  
“Good boy,” he says.  “You always were so  _ very _ obedient.”  

 

I know the voice.  It’s one of Kris’s friends, a lesser henchman.  It doesn’t matter that the last time I heard him speak was nearly ten years ago.   

 

_ ‘Try this!  Man, you’ll feel amazing!’  _

 

He hadn’t lied.  It was amazing. And it got better when Kris came in and started touching me.  I wouldn’t have stayed, except I thought it was Chanyeol at first, and by the time I knew it wasn’t, there were so many drugs in my system that I would have killed him for stopping.  My memories get a little hazy around the time Chanyeol  _ actually _ came in; I think he was only there long enough to see me in bed with his best friend, but he’s never told me and I can’t remember clearly enough to know better.  

 

“What do you want?”  My heart is frozen in terror, but my voice is natural; neutral.  Good. I don’t want him to know what I’m feeling. He’s here, outside Chanyeol’s building with a gun in his hands.  Waiting. There are only two other people it could possibly be, and of the three of us, I’m glad it’s me he stopped first.  I put my phone away after sending the text message I’d been working on when I saw him and look at the guy out of the corner of my eyes. 

 

“Saw your pretty little boyfriend a few minutes ago,” he says, ignoring my question.  I’ve got ice in my veins at the thought of him getting anywhere near Baekhyun. “Seems like he’d been out shopping.  Looks pretty happy for a guy whose parent’s died just a few months ago.” 

 

Now I’m getting angry.  What does he want, and how does he know Baekhyun’s parents are dead?  The unthinkable wanders into my head. Kris always had connections to the mafia; he’s ruthless enough to do anything.  Drugging his best friend and sleeping with him despite knowing he’s in a relationship with their other best friend ruthless.  Is he cold enough to do murder? Why? And what has Baekhyun got to do with him? 

 

I wish I knew what his plans were.  I threw my dice in with Chanyeol a long time ago, though.  I’d never regretted it before now. I’m smart enough; I could have spent my time playing both sides, keeping tabs on everyone, knowing everything just like I used to in school.  Instead I chose to become Chanyeol’s friend only, and drift from job to job, just doing whatever doesn’t bore me. Now, with a gun in my face and Baekhyun’s name on a murderer’s lips, I wish I’d made better life choices.  

 

“What do you want?” I ask again, and this time my voice is as cold as my blood.  

 

“I’m just here to pass on a message,” the guy says.  Fuck, I can’t even remember his name! “Break up with him.”  

 

I laugh.  It’s not what he’s expecting, but I never am.  But the laugh is only a mask; on the inside I’m breaking apart.  “Or what? Will you shoot me?” I look at him steadily, trying desperately to pretend like my heart isn’t galloping around in my chest.  It’s clear that this isn’t a spur of the moment thing, though. Someone’s thought this out thoroughly. They know exactly where to hit us to do the most damage.  There’s no telling what the plan is, but knowing what I do about Kris and his methods, I’m fairly sure that everything will become clear shortly. 

 

The startled look on his face is wiped clean by a humorless smile.  “Not you,” he says. 

 

His eyes.  They’re as soullessly emotionless as a snake, and suddenly I think I know what he’s planning.  If I don’t break up with Baekhyun, he won’t shoot  _ me _ .  He’s going to kill Baekhyun _. _  Our bright shining star.  Snuff the light right out of him, and out of my life.   _ Not just mine _ , I remind myself.  Chanyeol’s too. I’m caught in the middle again, except this time it’s not just teenage hormones and angst on the line.  

 

“Touch him and I’ll kill you,” I whisper.  In that moment, I know I could do it. I’ve got a few contacts of my own.  

 

“He’ll still be dead,” he whispers back.  

 

Defeat tastes bitter on my tongue.  I know he’s right, and I know that what I’m about to do is going to hurt like a son of a bitch.  I look past him, through the big windows that line the front of Chanyeol’s publishing house. Baekhyun is standing at Kyungsoo’s desk, smiling and chatting with him.  He starts walking backwards, still talking to Kyungsoo even as he’s coming closer to me. I don’t think he’s seen me out here yet; he must have just gotten impatient with waiting for me to meet him inside and come down to get me.   My heart is fluttering in my throat, choking me. “Don’t touch him,” I say, capitulating. “I’ll do it.” 

 

“Here,” he orders.  “Now. I’m watching.” 

 

He backs up until he’s standing against the wall, far enough away to be out of immediate attention but still close enough to hear what I’m about to say.  Not that he needs to hear it; he’ll be able to see me reaching into my own chest and tearing my heart out.

 

“I missed you,” is the first thing out of Baekhyun’s mouth as he pushes open the door with a smile on his face.  The light dims just a little when I don’t reply and he tries again, forcibly lighthearted. “What, no coffee? I could have used it, I just spent an hour putting together an outfit for the party tonight.”  

 

“I’d been planning on asking him to take a break with me and run across the street for a cup.  I don’t know what I’m going to say until the words are out of my mouth. 

 

“I want my necklace back.”  

 

I want to shove the words back into my lungs and erase the last ten minutes of my life.  

 

He cocks his head, confused by my words and my expression.  I can see myself reflected in the glass behind him; I look cold and unhappy.  I can’t feel my own heartbeat, but the blood is roaring through my ears. Baekhyun’s hand goes up to the necklace he’s been wearing for months, ever since I accidentally lost it in his house.  

 

“What?  Why? What’s wrong?”  He steps closer, reaches for me.  I force myself to step away, keeping the distance between us.  If he touches me, I’m going to tell him about the man with a gun not fifteen feet away from him, the man who will kill him if he doesn’t cooperate, who may have been involved in his parent’s deaths.  That loss broke him; he still hasn’t recovered fully. And now I’m going to compound the break with fractures. I don’t fool myself into thinking he loves me as deeply as he loved his parents, as deeply as I love him.  I don’t do anything by halves. He’s still young, just out of college. I console myself with that thought.  _ He’s young, he’ll find someone else soon enough. _  I try to pretend like that thought isn’t a razor blade in my heart.  

 

There’s pain in his eyes now.  Not a lot, which isn’t much consolation.  He’s proving me right after all, at the very moment I needed to hear confessions of undying love and devotion.  I’m killing myself for him, bleeding out at his feet and he doesn’t even notice. He didn’t feel much for me after all.  The pain is still mixed with confusion as he says, “Yixing?” 

 

“I’m bored,” I tell him.  He gasps, and I know I’ve finally gotten through.  “I want my necklace back.” 

 

He barely hesitates.  “Okay.” His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows and both hands come up now, pulling the chain out of his shirt.  The unicorn charm glints in the pale winter sunshine. His hands are trembling. I didn’t see it. I don’t want to see that.  I can see his breath pluming the air; it’s shaking too. In my mind I’m screaming.  _  I don’t want to do this!  I’m sorry! _

 

He fumbles with the clasp.  I’m acutely aware that we’re being watched, and take a step towards him, intending to help get it off.  He jerks violently away, turning to put himself out of my reach. 

 

“I’ve got it,” he snarls, and there’s a glossy sheen in his eyes.  

 

_ Oh god no, don’t cry.  Tell me I didn’t make him cry. _

 

He gets the necklace undone after a thousand years of struggling with it, and I hold my hand out, wanting to touch him just one last time.  He reaches out and lets the necklace slither into my palm without getting any closer than he has to. I feel the chain pooling around my fingers, unable to take my eyes off his face.  It’s still warm from his body and I can’t bear to put it on. I slide it into my pocket, watching him. He’s studying me like he can read my thoughts, and I’m terrified that the henchman behind us will draw his attention.  If Baekhyun sees him, he won’t live to see sundown. Kris’s man knows me, knows I know how to play the game. Baekhyun is innocent in this ten year feud, but he’ll pay the price with his life if he sees the guy behind us. He doesn’t take his eyes off my face.  

 

“Yixing…” he begins.  I can’t know whatever is about to come out of his mouth.  

 

“It’s been fun,” I tell him, twisting the knife deeper into my own heart.  The cloud of his last exhalation is hanging in the air between us and I can  _ see _ that he’s not breathing right now.  The silence stretches like taffy. 

 

Finally, “Yeah.”  

 

He turns around and pushes on the door.  The  _ Pull _ sticker is right beside his hand, but he pushes for a moment longer and then finally gets his fingers around the handle and pulls it open, stepping inside.  I watch him walk away – he’s moving slowly, shaking his head at Kyungsoo. I know by the sound of the footsteps that Kris’s man is beside me again. 

 

“We’ll be in touch,” he promises.  I don’t bother to look at him, because Baekhyun has wrapped his arms around himself while he talks to Kyungsoo, who looks… ready to do murder.  I see him look past Baekhyun and see me, and the scowl on his face could cut rocks. The necklace in my pocket suddenly weighs ten pounds and is burning a hole through my jeans.  I look down and am surprised that I’m not on fire. When I look back up, Baekhyun is gone and Kyungsoo is out of his seat and coming towards me. The henchman is gone but if I stay here and let Kyungsoo catch me, I’m going to tell him everything and he’ll tell Chanyeol and Baekhyun, and probably the cops, and then Baekhyun will die.  

 

I turn around and walk away.  

 

“What the hell, Yixing?” Kyungsoo’s voice cracks like a whip.  “You’re  _ bored _ ?” You broke our Baekhyun’s heart because you’re  _ bored _ with him?  Couldn’t you at least have  _ lied?” _

 

I flinch and hope it’s not visible.  Baekhyun’s heart isn’t broken. He barely reacted when I took the necklace back.  I never held enough of his heart to break anything but myself. I’m bleeding out from a mortal wound and all I want to do now is go home and maybe drown myself in whiskey. 

 

“Fuck you, Yixing,” Kyungsoo says to my back.  He doesn’t yell because he doesn’t need to. “If you ever show your face in my lobby again, I’m calling the police.”  

 

The door slams.  I let out the shudder that’s been tearing at me since I saw the gun and keep walking.   

 


End file.
